No Restraints.

Be yourself. (Also, an apology, as well as a picture.)

2012-02-02T14:47:00.000-08:00

So, I haven't posted in a while or with any frequency whatsoever. I apologize. Things have been pretty hectic lately and the semester just started last week, and so that's just adding on top of everything else. I have some ideas, and so they're coming soon, I promise.
Until then, here's a picture of Lilo and Stitch dancing.

Dance to your own beat. Also, keep yourself entertained as I take forever to write another post. Sorry.

Also, for those of you who don't know me, I'm addicted to Twitter now. Follow me! I tweet some quality things sometimes, even though mainly it's pictures of food.

Follow me on Twitter! k_lynn__

I'll post soon, promise!

Are you in?
- Kimber.

Update

2012-01-05T13:46:00.000-08:00

Just a quick update for anyone who read about Passion in my last post. If you didn't get a chance to catch the sessions, I feel bad for you - they were incredible. I'm buying the all access pass to get them all for myself now, greedy me, but just so you know, here are some final numbers from here.
The goal this week was to raise 1 million dollars to help organizations against human trafficking and slavery. There are approximately 27 MILLION people in slavery right now - something I didn't know, and something many people don't know. That's the highest, ever. So Passion's goal was to raise 1 million dollars. Check out this tweet from the session they wrote today:
"...The total amount given at #Passion2012 was $3,660,670."
Can you say incredible?
They also raised $100K for what they're calling The Atlanta Project, which is a special task force right in Atlanta focused on human trafficking prevention, education, and rescue.
All in a matter of days.
No challenge for this post, I just wanted to let you see how God's will was done this week. And to be the first to say, see you next year at the Dome!
Are you in?

-Kimber.

Passion 2012

2012-01-03T09:15:00.000-08:00

Right now in Atlanta something huge is going on in the Dome. Close to 50,000 people ages 18 to 25 are gathered in God's name for the Passion 2012 conference. As I type this, I keep stopping to follow as Beth Moore preaches through the passages in Mark and Luke that talk about the bleeding woman and her faith to touch Jesus to be healed.
I'm going to be selfish and make this a quickie post because Beth is blowing my mind and I can't type notes on my Bible on my Nook and type this on my laptop at the same time.
Your NR challenge is to spend some time and check out these sessions. Every one this week will be streamed live and then available for a while online for everyone to check out at home. Watch them. Wait for God. You never know what can happen. I know that I've already been changed, you could be too.
Are you in?

-Kimber.

Session 1 - Only available until 1/4/12!
Session 2 - Only available until 1/4/12!
Session 3 - Only available until 1/4/12!
Session 4 - Only available until 1/5/12!

Tebow Time.

2011-12-02T15:30:00.000-08:00

Perhaps one of the most controversial players in any professional sport right now is Tim Tebow, star quarterback of the Denver Broncos. For years Tebow has dominated headlines, starting in high school and continuing through college at the University of Florida, before becoming the 25th pick overall by the Denver Broncos. It's a pretty incredible story for a man that wasn't even supposed to be born, due to a medical issue when his mother was pregnant with him.
Lately, Tebow is making the headlines even more than he previously had, and this time it's not just because of his stellar performance on the field. While he has been exceptional, leading his team to victory more times than anyone expected, especially after Kyle Orton was released and it became clear who the Broncos were pinning their hopes on, there has been another part of Tebow's performance that critics are a bit skeptical about.
The latest craze to hit the nation is "Tebowing," where people mimic Tebow's action of kneeling down and praying on the field. Another craze is mimicking him by pointing to the sky whenever something good happens, where Tebow points to heaven as if thanking God for getting the first down, making the play, whatever.
Now, I'm not saying that I'm a sports writer. In fact, I'm far from it. I may be a girl, but at least I know some sports - mainly due to the fact that I have a 17-almost-18-year-old brother who thinks that sports make the world go round. Clearly I have some learning to do because I had to look some of this stuff up. I've seen tons of articles on Yahoo and Google, where other QBs in the league are firing harsh-sounding comments off about Tebow and his constant "church talk." In the world's eyes, once in a while is alright to thank God for what you have and what happened. But, every time? Plus pointing to the sky, and kneeling down to pray several times a game?
The other night I was reading my Bible when a few verses just seemed to jump off the page. I had read another article about Tebow earlier that day, where Kurt Warner was making a few statements towards the subject. He's a Christian too, and has thanked his Lord and Savior multiple times over the years for his time in the NFL. I guess I had Tebow on the brain, because when I read these verses, he was all I could think about:

"But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice." - Philippians 1:18.

"But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ." - Philippians 3:7.

"Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ." - Galatians 1:10.

See what I mean? These verses, in my opinion, represent everything that Tebow is about.
The first verse is self-explanatory. Tebow is thanking God for what he has, and is making sure that everyone knows that this isn't his own skill and prowess that let him make it to where he is today. I mean, the guy wrote "John 3:16" on his eyeblack in the 2009 BCS Championship game, and what happened? Nearly 92 MILLION PEOPLE searched for the verse on Google. That's incredible, I don't care who you are. It led to a rule in the NFL referred to as the "Tebow Rule," where players aren't allowed to wear the stuff and write messages. But really, who cares? The point is that for one small incident, one small game, 92 MILLION people heard the message of Christ summed up in one of the best verses in the Bible: "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son, that whoever believes in Him shall not die but have eternal life." That is incredible.
This is God's plan for him, as of now. It may change someday, but that's for Him to tell Tebow, not our society. He doesn't care what people are saying - whatever he does, he's thanking God and making sure He gets the glory, not himself. That directly ties in to the verse from Galatians - it's not about Tim Tebow, star quarterback for the Denver Broncos. It's about our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. This leads to the other verse from Philippians - everything that Tebow has - the endorsements, the book deals, the star position on the team and all of the fame and fortune - are nothing. These things are garbage, nothing but roadblocks in his way to getting to heaven and partying hard with the Messiah for all eternity. It's a great perspective, and unfortunately, society would rather us forget about it.
I will be the first to say that I'm still not a complete Tim Tebow fan. I'm not one to get on the bandwagon supporting him, and I'll be honest and tell you I was rooting against him and his team in the Sugar Bowl in 2010. I admire him and will acknowledge that he has mad skills, but I'm still warming up to him as a player. Since he was drafted by the Broncos, I believed that he was over-hyped. I was waiting for him to walk the walk to go along with his talking the talk and, honestly, I'm not surprised that he has so far this season. I'm warming up to him, but after reading all of the articles, watching his performance, and realizing how he isn't taking the credit himself - I'm slowly getting there. Make room on the Tebow bandwagon, because I'm soon to join.
This leads to the first NR challenge in a long, long time (sorry about that.) Evaluate yourself - are you "Tebowing" enough in your daily life? Is kneeling down and praying, thanking God for your blessings and realizing that all you have is just a roadblock keeping you from giving it all to God and getting to heaven? If you said yes to any of these questions, take a breather, put yourself on the bench, and bow your head. Listen to what God has to say. What's He telling you?
Are you in?

-Kimber.

My prayer

2011-11-05T10:59:00.003-07:00

Perfection? I think not.

2011-11-05T10:59:00.001-07:00

Prayer

2011-11-05T10:58:00.001-07:00

Love.

2011-11-02T15:05:00.001-07:00

Faith

2011-11-01T05:39:00.001-07:00

A picture worth a thousand words.

2011-10-30T09:53:00.001-07:00

Just a friendly reminder

2011-10-11T20:12:00.000-07:00

I'll admit, I'm intimidated.

This is just a friendly reminder to myself to
POST AN INTELLIGENT POST KIMBER.

Thank you for cooperating and letting me remind myself.

Seriously though, I'm sorry that I haven't been around for this whole past month or two. It's hardly an excuse, but between working 3-4 days a week at Subway combined with 17.5 credits of classes at school, plus trying to make time for homework and talking to Scott once in a while and attempting to have an excuse for a social life, I just haven't had time to get down the thoughts that I've had. Honestly, I've been away from this for so long that I barely know how to write a post anymore. So!

Prayers that I can get back on the proverbial blogging wagon would be appreciated. And, as always, if you have any ideas that I could write about, they are always appreciated. Thanks!

Are you in?
-Kimber.

I'm Alive

2011-09-10T15:18:00.000-07:00

I promise I am not dead. I haven't posted in a zillion lightyears because school has started in all of its madness and glory, I'm working all the time at Subway, and when I don't have either of those things I either talk to my boyfriend or sleep. I have tons of ideas though, don't worry.
Stay tuned.
Are you in?

-Kimber

Faith Lessons from Football

2011-08-17T08:08:00.000-07:00

Recently, I found a blog from one of the Steelers' rookies. His name is Baron Batch, and he was just signed out of college this season. His blog has been funny, inspirational, and a good read. He is an amazing photographer and the photos he posts are always breathtaking. Today I got on here to check something and I saw he had updated, so I read it and it just blew my mind.
Baron has been dreaming of a rookie season in the NFL. Last week, that dream took a U-turn. He tore his ACL during Steelers training camp and is now out for the season. He's undergoing surgery today to repair it so he can stand on the sidelines and watch as everyone else on the team plays, living out the dream that he so desperately wanted. But is he letting this get to him?
See for yourself. Your NR challenge is to jump to his blog and read this post. Then ask yourself, am I riding with faith, or fleeing with doubt?
Baron's latest post - Diary 32
Are you in?

-Kimber.

Keep Cheering

2011-08-12T11:24:00.000-07:00

What team are you on?

In about two weeks, I'll be turning nineteen. While this isn't a significant birthday - other than the fact that it's my Golden Birthday, 19 on the 19th yeah! - it does have one unfortunate fact: I have officially lived another year of my life without seeing the Pirates have a successful season. I have lived my entire life without seeing the Pirates even somewhat near playoff contention, and I have grown accustomed to this. As a family, we normally go to a few Pirate games every season; it took me until I was 15 to see the Pirates actually win a game.
Now, don't get me wrong. I love the Buccos - yes, I may hate on them at times, but really what Pittsburgh-er doesn't? Even though they may not play the best at times, there's always hope for the next game.
Imagine the thrill, then, of this season...well, this season up to about 9 or 10 games ago. The Pirates were first place in their division and nearing playoff contention - unheard of! For a while I was convinced that it was all a joke. But they had something good going - they were working together as a team and finding the best way to make everything and everyone fit together. Of course, as I'm sure you're well aware, the Bucs are in something like a 10-game losing slump, putting them that many games behind first place. Oh well, you win some, you lose some.
If you think about it, there's someone who is an even bigger fan than the most dedicated Pirates fan. (Who, by the way, could easily be my youth pastor. Just saying.) As hard as it is to cheer for the Pirates, who seem to mess up sometimes and never get it right, imagine how hard it would be to cheer for us!
Consider this. We're human. God designed us this way. We are flawed, and never will be perfect - only Christ is and ever will be. So, naturally, we mess up a whole lot by ourselves anyway. That's already understood. Now, what about all the times that we mess up and we know it? Lying to our parents. Backstabbing a friend. Skipping out on personal time with God. Going farther with our boyfriend or girlfriend and knowing it. Stealing something from a store. Anything like this - it's a sin. Every time something like this happens, it's like another Pirates loss or failed play - just like the fans get upset, God gets upset - but to a much larger scale.
When the Pirates are losing big time, its easy to just give up and forget about them. Luckily, God doesn't do that for us. God is cheering for us to make it, to overcome the obstacles and learn from our mistakes so that, with His help, we can learn not to make the same bad choices over and over again.

"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." - 1 John 1:9

This verse is telling us that if we just admit to God that we messed up, He will always wipe that sin away from our name - it's gone, like it never happened. And just like that, we're back in His good standings, .500 in the rankings, ready to move on. However, it's up to us - we can keep moving forward, winning our battles with His help and making the most of what He's given to us and go above and beyond the straight .500 we were at. Or, we can instead turn back to what we were doing, going on a losing slump and not realizing that we're even far worse off than before.
Your NR challenge for this post is this - figure out how your performance in the game of life is going. Are you heading toward the ultimate game, eternal life in heaven, or are you slowly making your way over to another team - Satan's team? The Bible says there isn't a neutral position in the Lord; every day you're making decisions that either make you more like Him or less like Him. It's up to you to decide what team you're playing for.
God's cheering for us to make it, and to make the right decisions. No matter our performance in life, whether we live for Him or for ourselves, God loves us. He's still cheering, still rooting that you'll come back to the Home Team. Can you hear Him?
They say insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. As a Pirates fan, I sometimes understand this quote better than other times. The boys can play the same way game after game, producing the same loss statistic and sliding down in the rankings. But, I never give up home that they can turn it around. Call it insanity if you will, but I call it hope, or determination. And I'm not the only one - God continually is hoping and praying for us to make the right choices, say and do the right things, all to glorify Him. And what is the consequence with our performance? Following the One who created us and then DIED for us, so one day we can gain eternal life with Him in heaven? Or living for ourselves for a short number of years, to only be granted with the most devastating result ever - an eternity in Hell, away from the One who loves us more than anything.
Who is the insane one now?
Are you in?

-Kimber.

It's worth it.

2011-08-10T13:59:00.000-07:00

I love love love this song! So true and with such a powerful message. Take a listen!

Your Dream Home.

2011-07-24T08:23:00.000-07:00

In sixth grade I had a rather eccentric English teacher, who also happened to be my homeroom teacher. 6th grade is a big year for kids in our school district, because that's when you leave the comforting yellow halls of the elementary and head up to the scary middle school where everything becomes a whole new ballgame. Mrs. D. was a somewhat strict older woman, but she had a sincere soft spot for kids, especially kids entering middle school. She was passionate about English, clipping coupons from the newspapers people would drop off for her, and, the number one thing she loved - entering incessantly for the Publisher's Clearing House Sweepstakes.
Mrs. D. would tell us every morning in homeroom how she had entered yet again, convinced that one day the people would come to her house with the big check congratulating her on winning. She wanted a huge house where she could retire to and garden, clip coupons, and just relax.
What would you do if you had won a contest like Publisher's Clearing House? Receiving that much money would allow you to buy tons of things that you would want, including a new house, or even let you build the house of your dreams. What would you put in that house? I would have a library filled with tons of books that I could read, because yes, I am a total nerd. I'd have a wrap around porch covered in cute porch furniture, complete with a porch swing. I'd have a sheep-themed kitchen, just because I could. My house would be strange to some, but to me, it would be absolutely everything that I could dream of. It would be perfect.
You know, there is a way that we can get the house of our dreams one day. No, don't go rushing off to get a lottery ticket or enter for contests or things like that. Just read this:

"My Father's house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am." John 14:2-3

In these verses, Jesus is telling us that in Heaven, God has a huge "mansion" of sorts, filled with many rooms. He doesn't list a number, but I'm guessing it would be hard to pinpoint exactly how many there are! Jesus says in the verse prior to this to not let our hearts be troubled. If we believe in God, we also should believe in Jesus. (John 14:1) He's saying that we can trust Him to prepare a room for us in God's house, and when He does, He's going to come back and take us there so we can be with Him. In other places, it says how God has prepared a banquet that we all can enjoy when we're in Heaven with Him.
There's a joke that every Steelers fan loves to tell:

Tom Brady, after living a full life, died. When he got to heaven, God was showing him around. They came to a modest little house with a faded Patriots flag in the window. "This house is yours for eternity, Tom," said God. "This is very special; not everyone gets a house up here." Tom felt special, indeed, and walked up to his house. On his way up the porch, he noticed another house just around the corner. It was a 3-story mansion with a black and gold sidewalk, a 50-foot tall flagpole with an enormous Steelers logo flag, and in every window, a Terrible Towel. Tom looked at God and said, "God, I'm not trying to be ungrateful, but I have a question. I was an all-pro QB, I hold many NFL records, and I even won a few Superbowls." God said, "So what's your point Tom?" "Well, why does Roethlisberger get a better house than me?" God chuckled and said, "Tom, that's not Roethlisberger's house, it's Mine."

Obviously this is just a joke (I'm pretty sure God doesn't have a Steelers themed mansion up in Heaven, but it would be pretty interesting!) but it shows how God will prepare a place for you in Heaven that you would love. Sure, maybe Tom Brady was a bit jealous and convinced that he deserved a bigger house. But really, when we're in Heaven and surrounded by the majesty of God, are we really going to complain about trivial things like that? Someone once told me that once we're in Heaven, all the problems and things of everyday life fade away, because God's glory is all we can focus on. That's pretty sweet!
It's pretty hard to comprehend how the creator of the universe is up in Heaven right now, preparing a place for me to stay with Him after He calls me home. I can't wait to see what He's done, but even more so, I can't wait to be with Him forever! Forget the swimming pools, or the wrap around porch, or anything else that you would want in your dream home. The best dream home we'll ever get to have is up in Heaven, with the number one aspect of it being Jesus Christ Himself!
Here's your NR challenge for this post. Imagine everything you would ever want in a house on earth - and then compare it to the place God is preparing for you in Heaven, with Him. No matter how fantastic our visions of what we want here on earth are, they'll always be nothing compared to the splendor we will receive with forever living with the King.
Mrs. D never won the Publisher's Clearing House Sweepstakes, but who knows? Maybe one day she will. I know that there's something far greater than money or a new home that I can have without having to win it, though, and that's an eternity with my Lord and Savior in the place that He has prepared for me. So, think about it yourself. What would you rather have?
Are you in?

-Kimber.

I've always been bad with dates

2011-07-23T17:32:00.000-07:00

Whoops.

And I totally missed the fact that it's been a year since I started this blog!
(Well, it was a year on the 6th. But for the sake of arguing, let's just say it's been a solid year since it started!)
I'm not going to make this some long, sappy post or something that compliments myself and says what a totally wicked job I'm doing and how I'm so creative and blah blah blah...because I'm not. From day one, every post on here has been something that God has either opened my eyes to or laid on my heart to share with you guys. So, a big and major thank you to Him!
Also, I want to say a thank you to you guys, my readers. I would never have kept this blog going and kept it public if I wasn't getting some feedback or a sense that people liked what they were reading, or if I wasn't getting any encouragement. At first, this blog was just going to be something that I did by myself, writing these ideas down in some spiral notebook that the cave under my bed would be sure to eat sometime. Instead, I took a leap of faith of sorts and threw my ideas out there, and you guys were always so loving and supportive. You supported me when I thought my writing was crap, or I thought that the idea didn't leave my head in quite the right manner. You complimented me on my crappy writing style and eccentric topics. You yelled at me when I took a hiatus and didn't post for a while. (Shout out to Pete, ya meathead.) Mostly though, you let me continue doing what God wanted me to do - write all this madness down and be able to use it as an outlet to share God's love with others. So, thank you.
It's been a wild year. Not only have dozens of you responded in some way or form - comments on Facebook, comments on the blog, face-to-face conversations - but my blog has even been mentioned in some pretty cool ways, like being used at Whitehall for ideas for devotions, or when it was featured in my church's monthly newsletter. Pretty awesome stuff just from an idea from an even more awesome God!
So, thank you to everyone for sticking around and reading this jumbled mess of post. I hope you like what you read, and I hope something that God gives me to tell you sticks with you.
No challenge for this post other than to stay tuned - I can't wait to see what God will do in this next year!
Are you in?

-Kimber.

Whiplash

2011-07-23T17:16:00.000-07:00

Oh, Willow Smith. Only the daughter of someone as insanely great as Will Smith could get away with a song based on, well, whipping your hair back and forth. In this incredibly repetitive but strangely addictive song, Willow sings of whipping her hair back in forth in just about every situation. When she arrives at a party, she whips her hair around. When she goes onstage and hears some applause, she whips her hair around. After she hops out of bed and turns her swag on (sorry, couldn't resist) she ignores all of the people who speak and think badly of her and she - once again - whips her hair back and forth.
It seems like her fix-all solution to every situation is to throw her head around and whip her hair. Let's look at a line in the bridge: (before the 238927382 "I whip my hair back and forths")

Don't let haters keep me off my grindKeep my head up and I know I'll be fineKeep fighting until I get thereAm down and I feel like giving upI whip my hair back and forth! I whip my hair back and forth!

Haha, sorry. Got a bit carried away there.
Here we see how Willow is feeling a bit down, thanks to all of the people that are thinking poorly or speaking poorly about her. She knows that she shouldn't feel bad because of it, and that she'll be fine, but she's feeling at the end of her rope - and what does she do? Whips her hair back and forth, of course.
Doesn't really seem like a logical solution, does it? Well, maybe, for the sake of the song. Still, though! It's not really what you should do when you're "down and you feel like giving up," right?

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." - Matthew 11:28-30

God is telling us in these verses that, whenever we're feeling tired and run down, unable to go on with whatever we're struggling with, we're to turn to Him. Instead of head banging along with Willow, ask God to take over and stop trying to fight whatever battle you're facing by yourself. Psalm 28:8 says that "The Lord is the strength of His people, a fortress of salvation for His anointed one." In chapter 27 verse 1, it says "The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?"
This is one of my favorite verses, which I think goes along with this pretty well:

"God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble." - Psalm 46:1

The common theme in all of these verses is that, no matter what we're dealing with or what we're going through, what we've done or what we're facing, God is always there to turn to. We can give Him all of our troubles and problems, and He will willingly take them on and guide us, helping us fight whatever we're struggling with.
I don't know about you, but when things get tough, I'd much rather turn to the Creator of the heavens and the earth for help and relief, rather than whip my hair back and forth for a supposed confidence boost.
So here's your NR challenge for this post - I challenge you to forget about what Willow says, and instead turn to the only one who can fight your battles and carry your worries and burdens - Jesus. Realize that, no matter how hard you try, you will never be able to do these things on your own. Your strength should come from God, not anything from a song! You have a choice - turning to the One who made you for strength, or relying on something as silly as whipping your hair back and forth. One option will give you strength, and the other will leave you with a nice case of whiplash. What do you choose?
Are you in?

-Kimber.

The Last Thing You Expected...

2011-07-22T19:25:00.000-07:00

Hahahahahahahah, didn't see that one coming, did you?
While this song is a little old for me - it came out 5 years before I was even born, maybe that'll make some of you feel nice and old - I, along with millions of others, have come to know of it through the beautiful prank known as "Rick Rolling," what I have just (maybe!) done to some of you. It started out as a number one hit in the United Kingdom, where Rick Astley is from. It soon escalated to the United States, where within years it became a classic. It's now a classic prank on the internet, where a simple link which is supposed to take you to some video of your choosing instead takes you to this video.
For as ridiculous as it is, this song has some pretty legit lyrics. Take the chorus for example:

"Never gonna give you up, never gonna let you down, never gonna run around and desert you. Never gonna make you cry, never gonna say goodbye, never gonna tell a lie and hurt you."

Obviously, Astley's promising someone that he's pretty much never going to leave them, hurt them, or disappoint them. That's a pretty big promise to make, don't you think? I mean, I've promised the same things before, and unfortunately I've had to break some of those promises, just like others have made and broken the same ones to me. You may mean it when you say it, but more often than not, something goes wrong and the promise is broken.
That happens a lot though, don't you think? We're only human, and as hard as we try, we're going to do things we said we wouldn't. We're going to make someone cry even though we tried our hardest not to. We may have to leave someone for their own good, for our own good, or for other reasons we can't control. All of these lyrics seem ideal, but, at the end of the day, they can be darn near impossible for anyone.
Anyone, that is, except God.

"And surely I am with you always, even to the end of the age." - Matthew 28:20

"The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged." - Deuteronomy 31:8

"Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." - Hebrews 13:5

"For I am the Lord, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, 'Do not fear; I will help you.'" - Isaiah 41:13

...do I have to spell it out for you some more, or do you catch my drift?
God has promised each of us dozens of times that He will never leave us nor forsake us. God's not giving us up, or letting us down, or deserting us. God also says in the Bible how He has plans for us to give us each hope and a future. (Jeremiah 29:11, if you're wondering!)
I'm sure if you searched you could find a verse for just about every promise mentioned! Isn't that pretty amazing? It's like God's personal song right to you, written down thousands of years ago for you to enjoy anytime.
So, here's your NR challenge for this post. I challenge you to read God's love song to you - the Bible - and memorize these promises for yourself. God's never gonna give you up, or let you down. He's never gonna run around or desert you. He may make you cry, but He has plans for you which will make tears of joy rather than sadness run down your face! He's never going to say goodbye to you, and He would never tell you a lie to hurt you. Rather, God wants an intimate relationship with you, so He can tell you personally every day and in every way possible that He isn't going anywhere - as long as you let Him stay with you.
Pearl Bailey, an actress and singer, once said it best:

"People see God every day, they just don't recognize him."

You have to be willing to pay attention, open your eyes, and see that God is always at your side.
Are you in?

-Kimber.

Lasagna for Life.

2011-07-02T20:00:00.000-07:00

Just call me Garfield.

My absolute favorite food is lasagna. If I could, I would eat an entire pan of it all by myself. The best part of lasagna is, other than the numerous layers of deliciousness, you could eat it everyday for a week after you make it and every day it would taste better than before. (Sadly, this never happens in my house, because it's normally gone 2-3 days after it's made, partially because I eat it for every meal when we have it.)
There have been 2 different times in my life where my taste buds have exploded from lasagna-y goodness. The first was last July, when I was down in Orlando, Florida for IYC. The few days prior to the convention, we went to Disneyworld and all of the parks there. Our youth group was at Epcot one day around dinner time, and we all chose the Italian restaurant there in the Italy section of the park. My friend Jake and I each ordered lasagna, and when our food came out we tried it at the same time. The looks on our faces were probably priceless, because it was the best lasagna I had ever eaten to that point, hands down. Those bites were pure bliss, and Jake and I about cried when we realized we were down to our last few tastes. The second time was a month or so ago, when I crashed a friend's family reunion one night after drama. Theirs is a big Italian family, so of course the reunion was filled with all kinds of Italian goodness. When I went in to eat with my friend, I spotted the lasagna. He laughed and gave me a huge helping of it, which I started eating right then, even though it was cold. It was, amazingly, even better than the lasagna from Epcot! Obviously this makes sense, considering that was a restaurant in an amusement park, but you get what I mean. I found who had made it - the matriarch of the family, no less! - and plopped a big kiss right on her cheek. She didn't even blink. She must be used to crazy non-related kids kissing her on the cheek because she's a lasagna-making goddess.
Based on these two slightly strange lasagna filled stories, I think it would be a safe call to say that, if given the opportunity, I would and easily could eat lasagna every day.
In Isaiah 55:1-2, God tells us this:

“Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and you will delight in the richest of fare."

It's verses like these that make me like Isaiah the more I read it.
Imagine being able to sit down and eat as much lasagna and Dr. Pepper as you wanted, all without costing a cent. (Ohk, substitute lasagna and Dr. Pepper with your favorite foods and drinks to get the same effect...) Wouldn't that be great? I would never move from that table. If you had everything you ever wanted with your food and your drink, would you still go out and waste a couple bucks on Ramen noodles, TV dinners, and tap water? I think not! This would be like me saying, "No, thanks!" to the table full of lasagna and heading over to WalMart to stock up on the terrible Banquet TV dinner lasagnas. Not the same - at ALL!
You wouldn't do something like that either, right? Then why would we do it with our faith? God is telling us in these verses how, no matter how hard we try, we can't satisfy ourselves with, well, ourselves. We need God and what He offers to be truly satisfied. He's offering us the richest and best food and drink for our souls - a free, personal relationship with Jesus Christ. As much as I love lasagna, I love the idea of that much more!
Your NR challenge for this food-themed post is this - don't walk to the kitchen and expect to be satisfied with the few things that are inside. The only way you'll truly be able to be happy and content is when you walk over to your bookshelf and dust off the Word of God, then opening it to learn more and be satisfied with Him. Remember that no matter how hard we try, we won't be able to satisfy our souls with ourselves. Accept what God offers, and you'll find that your "soul will delight in the richest of fare." And that's way, way better than lasagna.
Are you in?

-Kimber.

Lessons From Babysitting

2011-06-18T20:11:00.000-07:00

So I'm sitting here, watching Roo and Grant-man jump on the trampoline. For those of you that don't know, Rachie and Grant are the younger siblings of my best friend. I'm babysitting them right now because my best friends went to the Taylor Swift concert, and her parents are on a "hot date" in the South Side finishing up their lesson plans for junior/senior high at youth camp starting tomorrow.
Right now, Rachie and Grant are laying on the trampoline and tickling each other. Or, Rachie is tickling Grant, and he's squealing like a little girl. Before they started that, though, they were playing a girl they called "Magical, Magical." The point of the game is that whatever Grant says Rachel has to turn in to, she has to try and do. Simple, really. Grant just said, "Magical, magical, turn this woman into a rock." Rach just flopped on to the trampoline and Grant looked concerned - thus starting the tickle war that's currently still raging.
Earlier,Grant said, "Magical, magical, turn this bird (what Rachel was then) in to Jesus!" Rachel sat there and said, "I can't be Jesus silly!" They both flopped on the trampoline again, laughing uncontrollably.
I thought about that for a bit after she said that. "I can't be Jesus, silly!"
Is that true?
The definition of the term "Christian" is, essentially, "Christ-like." When we profess ourselves to be Christians, we are essentially saying that we are trying to be Christ-like in our thoughts, actions, words, and mannerisms. When people look at us, they should see Christ shining through us.
Then comes the bad news - we're human. Romans 3:23 says that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, and so regardless of what we do, we can't be 100% perfect. Nothing can get us there - not good deeds, not going to church, and not acting "more Christian" than any other people. So basically, we can't be like Jesus in this aspect.
So what do we do? We can't be like Jesus, because we're human and sinful, but we're supposed to strive to be like Jesus, and represent him in everything that we say and do. And right there is your answer. We aren't supposed to act all "holier than thou," but we aren't supposed to follow the crowd and do the same things as the secular crew. We're supposed to represent God's light in everything we do and say, but it's difficult sometimes, isn't it? Of course! We can't "earn" our eternal home with good works, or being nice to people, or going to church and pretend that we're living the life of a Christian.
Sorry that this post is so sporadic - I've been writing it off and on all night as I watch the kids, haha! - but hopefully you'll see my point. We can't be Jesus, no matter how hard we try. The term "Christian" means to be Christ-like, not Christ Himself - because that's impossible!
Your NR challenge for this post is to act Christ-like. Be compassionate. Follow what the Bible says. Strive to be as close to Jesus as possible. Discover how awesome it is to be close with God. Who knows? You can have a "magical, magical" moment and have Jesus turn you from a normal person to an extraordinary follower and Child of God.
Are you in?

-Kimber.

Repeat After Me.

2011-06-08T13:28:00.000-07:00

For as long as I remember, I've wanted to be an elementary teacher. I'm not sure why, but I've just always known that God was calling me to teach the ankle biters in their early years and hopefully leave an impression on them. I especially want to leave a Godly impression and try to help them out a bit, considering religion is banned from schools and whatnot.
Over the years, I've paid attention to my teachers and took some mental notes regarding good ideas and things that they've done. For example, I know that a red pen automatically decreases self esteem, and so when grading things a teacher should use a different color. I know that yellow paper is better to take tests on than plain white paper, because the yellow relaxes the mind more. Chewing sugary gum stimulates brain activity and so you should always pop a piece in before taking a test. Playing classical music stimulates young minds also. Some of it may be silly, but I've tried it, and it works!
The number one thing I've noticed, however, is that when you're trying to get an important idea or concept across, you repeat it a few times. Some people say that 3 times is the best way to get things across, and so repeating a phrase or something 3 times or more is highly effective. Sometimes it can get annoying though, trust me. Senior year, my high school decided that we needed to have "daily learning objectives" in every class, and the teacher had to state them 3 times - once at the beginning of the class, once in the middle, and once at the end. No one really did it, because it was so pointless. My pre-calculus teacher wrote 3 objectives down the first day of school and never changed them, and so whenever an admin came in he would whip that paper out from his pocket and pretend that he was in the middle of teaching that. It was pretty funny. But hey, I remember those objectives because he mentioned them 3 times!
This process applies to so many other things, too. When you're talking to little kids, you repeat yourself. When you're talking to family, or friends - anyone, really. When something is important, you repeat it.
God does that, too.
In the book of Joshua, God talks to the new guy, Josh. Josh has been installed as the new leader of the Israelites, following Moses' death. He is to take the people to the promised land, but first he has to get rid of the people that are already living there. These guys are big, scary, and can easily whip the little guys of Israel. To say that they were pretty scared would be an understatement. So what does God do?

"No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you. Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors to give them. Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.” - Joshua 1:5-9

God assures Josh that everything will go fine. With God on your side, how can it possibly not? God tells him how no one will be able to stand up against the Israelites for the rest of his life, because they will be feared and powerful. God isn't going to leave them. As long as they follow God, they'll be alright!
While that's all well and good, did you catch the most important part of what God was saying in those verses? No? Let's try this again, then. Look:

No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you. Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors to give them. Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.” - Joshua 1:5-9

Did you catch the hint there? God told Joshua THREE TIMES just in those 4 verses that he shouldn't be afraid, but rather be strong and courageous. The very first chapter of the book of Joshua, and God is already telling him something important.
Throughout the entire book, though, God repeats this message multiple times. Even verses later, Joshua tells the people exactly what God told him - be strong and courageous! Talk about the ultimate teacher, telling his students one of the most important lessons ever.
In junior church, we used to sing a song about this verse. It went something like, "Be strong and courageous, do not be terrified, do not be discouraged. For the Lord your God is with your, wherever you go." (Put a tune to that, and you get the point.) Even at a young age, we should realize that God won't leave us, no matter what we've done, will do, or are doing currently. There's another, newer, song that says, "If our God is for us, then who could ever stop us? And if our God is with us, then what could stand against?" I can't really say it any better than that. If God is with us through everything, then why are we afraid?
What are you afraid of? Witnessing to your friends? Standing up as a Christian in front of your family? Going head-to-head with Satan in the form of drugs, alcohol, porn, lying, or any other thing? Conquering an addiction? Taking the final step and placing your faith in God?
Whatever it is, God is there. In Ephesians 6, it tells of putting on the full armor of God - the belt of truth, breastplate of righteousness, shield of faith, helmet of salvation, and sword of the Spirit. With all of that Godly "armor," could you really lose? I think not. Even if you stumble, you'll get back up again.
TobyMac said it best:
"We lose our way, we get back up again. It's never too late to get back up again. One day, you will shine again. You may be knocked down but not out forever." - TobyMac, "Get Back Up"
This is your NR challenge - what are you afraid of? Conquer the fear. Be a conqueror. God's right there with you every step of the way. He's carrying you through the good times and the bad, it's just up to you to realize you won't get dropped on your head.
Be strong and courageous.
Be strong and courageous.
Be strong and courageous.
Are you in?

-Kimber.

Busy!

2011-06-07T20:08:00.000-07:00

Busy as a...yeah, you get it.

Well hi, guys.
So, lately I haven't been posting a lot, and there's a reason for that, I promise! I haven't really done anything, and so there hasn't been much to give me an idea for a post. What ideas I do have, I'm getting writer's block for and so I have like 10 drafts of different posts saved in the NR archives, but I promise you I'm chugging away at them. Also, I'm working on another part of My Story and it's probably the hardest one to write yet, and so that's taking a while. Words are not my friends, lately...but! That is my pathetic and feeble excuse as to why I haven't posted recently, and I hope that you'll accept it.
I'm heading off to Whitehall on Saturday, the 11th, to be a counselor for the 5th and 6th grade youth camp, then coming home the following week, repacking, and heading up again in the 19th to counsel at junior/senior high. I pretty much won't be back home for a decent amount of time until the 27th or so, but in that time I'll definitely think of some new posts and hopefully get past this writer's block for the ideas I already have. Prayers that I can get writing soon, that I won't hurt myself at camp this year (it happened last year! haha), and that I'll be able to make a positive and Godly impact on my campers these next two weeks would be appreciated!
As always, if anyone has any ideas on what I could post on, or if you have a different angle on something I've said before, feel free to share. It gets lonely just talking to cyberspace; I need feedback from you guys to keep this blog going!
Thanks, and have a great few weeks, everyone!
Are you in?

-Kimber.

Like a Lily

2011-06-07T19:56:00.000-07:00

Disclaimer: I will get mushy. Just warning you.

In September I started an online reading plan for the Bible that takes me through the entire book in 1 year. Today I read Song of Solomon chapters 1-3 for the Old Testament, and Galatians 2 for the New Testament. (This is a plan that I picked myself; if you're interested in reading through the Bible in a year by yourself in a different way, here's the link to the website! http://www.ewordtoday.com/year/) When I first saw that I had to read Song of Solomon, I thought - great. Of course today I would start with the book of lovie dovie mush.
See, today is an anniversary for Scott and me. Yes, we're one of those goofy couples that highlights every monthly anniversary, but we do it because it shows that even through the tough stuff, we can make it work however long. Today marks 1 year and 11 months for us - next month is two years! (Sidenote - WOOOOOW.) But anyways!
I wasn't too happy about reading the SoS, because Scott is working up at Whitehall this summer and I haven't heard much from him since he got there Sunday. It's been ohk so far, because of him being busy at school this past year, I've gotten accustomed to not speaking to him as much as we once did. That's all right. But not speaking to him a lot, paired with a bit of jealousy that he's at camp and I'm not, added with today being our anniversary = one crabby Kimber not wanting to deal with Solomon's love poems.
But, I read them. Of course. I'm a sucker for romance, whether I admit to it or not. And let me tell you, a few verses into SoS and I was hooked. Take a look for yourself:

"Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth— for your love is more delightful than wine. Pleasing is the fragrance of your perfumes; your name is like perfume poured out. No wonder the young women love you! Take me away with you—let us hurry! Let the king bring me into his chambers."- Song of Solomon 1:2-4.

I don't know about you, but I find that pretty romantic! In SoS, a man and a woman (exactly how many, the standings of each - royal/commoner - ect., are debated) speak to each other along with their friends, telling the other how great the other one is. The entire book is dedicated to this "storyline," with the friends replying once in a while to tell of their happiness for their friends, the woman saying how dreamy and dedicated the dude is, and the guy saying how gorgeous and pure his bride is. To some, it may seem boring - but to others, ahh, how romantic!
Think of that! Having the one you're marrying tell you things they love about you, how beautiful or handsome you are, how happy they are that you saved yourself for them in marriage, how happy they are that they're marrying you - it goes on and on. That would be pretty nice, right?
When I was reading through, one verse in particular stuck out to me. In Song of Solomon 2:2, the man says of his bride:

"Like a lily among thorns is my darling among the young women."

I love, love, love this verse. Why? Think about it - the man is saying that his bride stands out from all of the other women around. It may not specify why this is, but to the man, she's the only one he sees.
What girl hasn't longed to be the one that stands out in the crowd? To be the only one that every guy has eyes for (in the right way, of course!) Face it - at least once, you've wanted to be the girl that the popular guy in the class wanted to take to the dance, or out on a date. Or vice versa; guys, you know that at least once you wanted to show all your friends up and be able to take that cheerleader out. While sometimes these feelings may be for the wrong reasons, I'm pretty sure every one of us has experienced them at one point or another.
Those are just regular people, though. Imagine if you're standing in a crowd of people and the person you're going to marry in the future points to you and says, that's the only person I see. That's the one for me. They're better than the rest in my eyes, and I'm going to marry them. That would be pretty cool, right? Of course it would!
This guy in the verse is saying how his bride is like a lily among thorns - in essence, a rare beauty, inside and out. There is the obvious comparison, which says how the bride was much more beautiful than all of the other young women that the man saw, and that's what made her stand out to him. But there's also something more, something about the beauty on the inside. The girl could possibly be a lily among the thorns because she has a good personality as compared to the others, or a better and gentler temperament. However, it says in the verses several times about how the girl was pure; she was still a virgin when she married the man, which could be different than many of the other girls - truly making her a "lily" among the "thorns."
Whatever the man means, 1 thing is clear: these two were crazy about each other. Another verse that I love from this book is Song of Solomon 8:6, which reads:

"Place me like a seal over your heart, like a seal on your arm; for love is as strong as death, its jealousy unyielding as the grave. It burns like blazing fire, like a mighty flame."

To me, that is SUPER romantic. Once, in a county chorus festival, we sang a song that had these words in it. I about died every time we sang it just because it was so sweet! (I'm totally listening to it now, here you go,)

Whether or not you have a bride waiting for you, or a groom, Song of Solomon can be something that makes you think. Are you trying to be a lily among the thorns for your future spouse? It isn't just about looking good - separating yourself from the sex scene and staying pure, keeping your head and having a good attitude, and having a cheerful, Christlike personality make you stand out even more than your looks.

Your NR challenge for this post is exactly that: separate yourself from the mainstream and try to be the lily in today's world. Not only will your future spouse love you for it, but your friends, family, God, and you will as well.

Are you in?

- Kimber.

My Story, Part 2.

2011-05-14T16:17:00.000-07:00

I'm eighteen. As a typical eighteen year old girl, I spend a ton of time on Facebook. I blog. I eat whatever I can and most of it isn't healthy. I run, even though I don't particularly like to. I actually started tanning this week. I like guys - a particular guy, but anyone who has been around in the past two years already knows this. I love hanging out with my friends, including my best friends, the wives. I love dancing and singing to my iPod, although I know there are people who wish I wouldn't. I fight with my siblings. I go to school. I spend some more time on Facebook. I text.
I also struggle with a little thing called self confidence. Unfortunately, this is something that is typical nowadays for teenagers. When I was little, I had the typical innocent baby fat. Most kids do. However, as I got older, it refused to go away. It didn't help any that I hated going outside, ("House Mouse" was my nickname) and I wasn't very good at sports - oh, I tried; I had ballet, softball, baseball, tee ball, and soccer - but I didn't like any of it other than soccer, and that became too hard to manage as my siblings and I got older. So I just chilled inside and read my books and was as boring as all getup.
I was never huge, but about the time I entered high school - ninth grade - I started feeling pretty bad about myself. I still looked like I did when I was a baby, but just a few feet taller (seriously, just a few. Short. Short. Short.) It made me so upset. Nothing I could do could make that go away! On top of that came the beautiful time of life known as puberty. It was going around in my grade faster than a rumor, and everyone was changing. I hated it. My face was breaking out, I was always gross feeling, and I was still chubby! Ick, ick, ick!
I hated myself. All of the people who had once told me I was a beautiful little girl disappeared into the woodwork. Guys didn't like me - well, one did, but that's for another post. My friends were gorgeous compared to me - they had perfect makeup, and the coolest clothes, and were skinny, skinny, skinny. I didn't wear makeup. A perfect outfit to me was a basketball tee and my favorite pair of jeans with some Sneakers. I didn't even start carrying a purse until the eighth grade, for goodness sake! It seemed like one day we were all relaxing on the kickball field in fifth grade at the top of the world, and now we were in high school, and I was a freak. It got so bad that for a while, I convinced myself not to eat. I allowed myself the minimum amount of food possible to get by. No one noticed, I thought, because no one cared. Sure, I lost a few pounds. After a while, I realized what I was doing and tried to start eating normally again. It didn't work. My body was so used to eating that little amount of food that I would get sick if I ate more.
So, let's summarize here. Here I am, a chubby little high schooler, who felt like she had no friends, no looks, and felt like she was a million pounds. Worthless.
Enter God.
Sometime after junior year - past my awkward tenth grade phase and the horror that was my junior year of high school - I was sitting in my room, waiting for the beauty that is Whitehall summer youth camp. I had only been there once, and it was in third grade. I hated it; I was the picture of the pathetic little homesick girl. In fourth grade I was there for one day and had to have my dad take me home hours after signing me up. Sad, yeah. But anyway, here I am getting ready for this camp. I'm thinking, "Alright God. You've taken me for quite a ride these past few months. I'm single for the first time in a year and a half, I feel completely worthless, and I have absolutely 0% self confidence or self esteem or anything positive about myself. If you really want to help me out, show me something at Whitehall. Anything."
(Just a quick note here: If you ever say anything like that to God, prepare to get your mind blown. As in, Him showing you something and as soon as you realize it feeling like you just got Bible thumped across the face.)
Long story short, at Whitehall something amazing happened. I met people that I had always known - people in my church that I had seen every week twice a week but didn't really talk to, girls and guys that I had sat next to in youth but didn't talk to because I was shy - that quickly became some of the best people in my life. (Shout out to the wives!) These people understood me, understood what I was going through and did stuff to help me. They made me feel like I was worth something to them. And, of course, you can't forget about the guy that I met. He didn't realize it at the time, but when we met, I was a pretty broken girl. Those people that I met and had already known that showed that they cared, added with the somewhat awkward and creepy constant following of the guy who already thought I was great, made me feel amazing. Almost whole again.
However, that part was God's job, and boy oh boy did He do it well. God spoke to me that week at camp. He told me how I was His original masterpiece; that He knew me before I was even formed; and, most importantly, He died on the cross for...me. Broken, hurting, doubtful little me. As He was on the cross, I came across His mind and He smiled, knowing that I was worth it.
I was worth it.
It's been almost two years since then, and I haven't forgotten this. Sure, there are bad days - when my hair is awful (which it normally is,) my face breaks out, nothing looks good on me or I can't fit into something anymore - but the bad days don't hurt like they used to. I've learned to love who I am; it's been a slow process, but I'm getting there. This is the first year that I could wear a bikini and not feel like I should have a shirt and shorts over top of it. I lay in my back yard and tan, and don't feel self conscious. I'm not the skinniest thing, and I know I probably never will be. As long as I take care of myself, though, I know that I'll grow to love who I am. And even when I do have those bad days, sure, I want to cry my eyes out! But I know that there are people out there who are going through the same thing that I am, and that there are people that love me regardless if my shirt doesn't look good on me, or if my hair is so frizzy it's pointing three feet from my head. Above all, I know that God loves me for who I am, and that He made me this way. It may be a sick sense of humor in my eyes, considering the frizzy, messy hair; the slightly round, short, and stubby figure; face that occasionally breaks out and the smile that may not be blindingly white, but to Him, I'm an original masterpiece. His creation. He wanted me this way, and so that's how I am. Beautiful.
Your NR challenge for this post is this - realize your beauty. Realize that God formed you and wanted you a specific way, and so that's how you are. Realize that Jesus thought of YOU as he was on the cross, and He made the greatest sacrifice for you. Lastly, remember this: beauty doesn't last. Clothes fall out of style or fade. Weight comes and goes and it always will. However, true beauty and self confidence comes from knowing God's love.

The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched - they must be felt with the heart. - Helen Keller

Are you in?

-Kimber.

Princess You

2011-05-14T15:15:00.000-07:00

Sorry fellas, this post is for the ladies.
Now that it's been over a week since Will and Kate got married, I think it's finally safe to approach the subject of the royal wedding without it being overkill - at least, that's what I think, and I'm the writer here, so that's what we're going with. I'll admit, I always have had a slight obsession with English royalty - thank Queen Elizabeth I and her crazy father with his 8 wives for entertaining me as subjects in so many amazing books - and so when I heard about Wills popping the question to Kate, I thought, well that's cute. I never really followed this particular royal family - I was only 5 when Princess Di was killed, and so it's not like I was always paying attention or even knew anything about them. I preferred the old historical families that were so much cooler.
When the engagement photos appeared of the couple, though, I started getting interested. She was absolutely gorgeous, and even though he's a bit strange looking - horsey, maybe? - they still made an adorable couple. I started getting curious, and so I researched (I am a Wikipedia JUNKIE, for sure) Kate and now, as sad as it is, I can tell you just about anything regarding her, her relationship with Will, or her family. Pathetic, I know.
What I found most interesting, however, was that Kate wasn't born into prestige or royalty or even a small title. Her parents are party planners, and eventually their company became well known and soon her family was well off, which led her to be able to attend the University of St. Andrews, where she met Will at a fashion show. (See? PATHETIC.) Kate started off in life as young Kate Middleton, oldest daughter of some successful British party planners - and now look at her: she's now known as " Her Royal Highness Princess William Arthur Philip Louis, Duchess of Cambridge, Countess of Strathearn, Baroness Carrickfergus." Yes, I copy and pasted that from Wikipedia, because even though I'm a huge dork, there's no way that I could remember a title like that.
Crazy though, isn't it? To be a normal, common person and then in a few whirlwind-like years you become quite possibly the next Queen of England! What girl doesn't want to be a princess? No matter how tomboy you were as a kid, or may still be, you know you wanted to be a princess at some point in time. I was pretty jealous as I looked at the pictures from Will and Kate's wedding - okay, and as I watched the entire thing, but not at 3 AM like some crazy people! I watched it at a decent time, 10:30ish, thank you - because she looked so beautiful, and the wedding was so cool, and it was so nice, and she's a princess now!, and...yeah, safe to say I was jealous. I want to be a princess!
My wish - and every other little girl's wish - has already been granted, though. From the time that we were born - the time that we were even thought of - we were already a princess. We were God's princess. Don't believe me? Think about it! God says in Philippians 4:6 to "not worry about anything; instead, pray about everything." There, He says that we don't have to be fearful or worry, because God has our backs! It says in Psalm 139:13-14 that we are fearfully and wonderfully made, and that God knew us before our mothers even realized that we were around!
My mind is racing right now, because I'm like 99% sure God is telling me that I'm not supposed to focus on this post and instead focus on another part of my story, so let me give you the NR challenge for this insanely sporadic and short post - sorry! Your challenge is to think of yourself as the princess you rightly are - GOD'S princess! While you may not have the opportunity to marry a future prince of England (hey, Harry is still available!), you can know that the best prince is smiling at you always - the Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ Himself. So what do you say? You're a princess! It's time to realize that!
Are you in?

-Kimber.

My Story, Part 1.

2011-04-26T17:18:00.000-07:00

Have you ever sat down and thought, "What if I had done this?" "What if this was done differently?" "What would have happened if I would have only changed this, thought this, wore this, said this?" Everyone has. It's a part of life, a common human trait that makes us all stop and think, "What if?" What if I wore the clothes they're wearing, would they like me? What if I lifted more, would I make the team? What if I stood up for myself, would the bullying stop? What if I told someone this secret, would it make me feel better?

To us, these questions may be important. After all, it's part of being human to want to fit in, to want to be well-liked and accepted. Popularity never hurt anyone, either, and so these questions make us think of what we could have done in the past to better our future.
We shouldn't think like that. I have, I'll be the first to admit it - and it sucks, to put it simply. Only, my "What if?" was a different sort.
What if I hadn't played the part of a Christian? What if I had lived what I believed? What would have happened then?
One of my favorite worship songs is Matthew West's "Going Through the Motions." The lyrics of the chorus are the best part:

"I don't wanna go through the motions, I don't wanna go one more day without Your all consuming passion inside of me, I don't wanna spend my whole life asking, "'What if I had given everything,
instead of going through the motions?'"

That was my "What if?" question. What if I had lived so that Christ was reflected in me, instead of living so I reflected the world?
Imagine middle school. Do you remember how that went? Everyone meets new people, and there you are again, the bottom of the totem pole. In elementary school, by 5th grade, you were the boss of the school. You could do what you want (hypothetically; in retrospect, there wasn't anything that was that great about being the oldest at the Ridge.) and you earned the respect of the younger kids (once again, not really, they hardly seemed to realize that fifth graders should obviously get first dibs on the swings and when it was their turn for recess, your kickball games stopped for the older kids.), plus you were excited about moving up to the middle school the next year. In my district at the time, there were 2 different elementary schools - one for the kids in town, and one for the country hicks. I fell into the latter category. In elementary school, I believed in Jesus - sang the songs, went to church, and had a Bible somewhere in my room buried under the Barbies and games and other toys. Then I moved up to middle school. Time for a change. There were new friends to make, popularity ladders to climb, and cute boys - lots and lots of cute boys. I'll be the first to admit that I didn't care about my faith at this time - I was sick of church, I wasn't yet in youth because I was a young kid (youngest in the grade, just about) and so I had no support system to get me through it all. I put God on the back burner.
I lived life like I wanted throughout middle school. I won't go into all the details yet - another post, I'm sure, I hear ya, God - but pretty much, for now, know that I wasn't living the Christian life. I wasn't doing drugs, or having sex, or any of that stuff - I just didn't live with God's light shining through me. I was going through the motions.
Enter J. J was a kid who I had grown up with - he went to the same elementary school as I did, and once in a while he would come to my church when we were old enough to be in youth. My best friend dated him in seventh grade, and boy, were they cute. For a while, starting in the middle of seventh grade probably, I had felt like God was trying to tell me something, to share Him with others, like J. I wasn't listening to Him then, obviously - going through the motions, remember - so I brushed it off. J came to my church before anyways, he knew who God was. It was his choice whether or not to believe in Him. He didn't need me to live as an example and try to help anyone, let alone J.
It was almost the last day of school, and the day was gorgeous. The next day was a day off for some reason, and then the last day of school was right after that. J and I rode the bus together, and we sat next to each other. We were talking and J said how he was going to go home and relax, then sleep all of the next day. I said how I had my brother's baseball game that night and all I had was youth the night after. I didn't push the youth thing; J wasn't one to talk about God, I had learned that after he had had a discussion with another kid on the bus one day. As we pulled up to my house, I got up and turned to J, saying I hope he had fun sleeping his day away the next day and that I would see him on the last day of school. He smiled, saying, "Almost eighth graders, yeah buddy! Top dogs!" I laughed and gave him a thumbs up, getting off and walking to my house.
It was the last time I saw him.
That day, about an hour after I said goodbye to him, J got on his bike to get the mail at the post office across the street. The road was empty; it was only about 3:30 or so and not many people were on the road in the small country town he lived in. He started to drive across - and was hit by a car. The woman was, apparently, drunk and hit him. I don't know if that's true. I don't know how J didn't see her. I don't know if she stayed or if she ran. All I know is, J died that day in the street. He didn't get to sleep in the next day, he didn't get to see what was in the mail, he didn't get to be a "top dog" eighth grader.
I didn't get to tell him about Jesus.
My "what if?" has always, always, always been about J. What would have happened if I had told J about God? He may have shut me down, and I would have had to drop it for a while. But what if he had, instead, shut up and listened? What if he had wanted that? What would have happened if I had had the guts to tell him, to share what I believed, to have lived how God wanted me to so that I was shining with His light?
What if.
This has been a pretty negative first post. It's been a pretty crappy first post, really. I haven't included a Bible verse like usual, I haven't included some witty tie-in to something that relates like I have previously. I just have this. This story, my "What if?", and the song.
This is your NR challenge for this, the first part of my life. Don't go through the motions. Don't spend another day without God's passion and light shining through you. Tell others about God, and what He's done for you. I didn't, and now I think, "What if I had?"
Share with someone. Share without being scared. Share. You may not get another chance too.
Are you in?

-Kimber.

The Kimber Saga.

2011-04-26T16:44:00.000-07:00

A peek into my life, coming soon.

I've been thinking a lot about this blog lately, about future posts and what I could say and how to word posts I have drafted. I kept having a little idea, but I kept pushing it off as soon as I thought of it. "Share your testimony," my brain said. "Someone may need to hear it." No, I thought, no one needs to hear it. I'm just thinking that myself. So I dropped the idea. Then, today, my English prof. asked about my blog - of all things to ask about! Wild! He asked if anyone followed it, saying, "I'm sure everyone wants to follow the life of Kimber. It seems to be entertaining." I told him what my blog is really about - not me at all, more like mini youth lessons or things like that, that are focused towards my age and younger. I don't ever talk about myself - heck, it's in the sidebar description of the blog: I'm not talking about myself. But still, when he said that, it was pretty weird. It was like the little voice came back and said, "See, stupid? About your life - THAT'S what you need to write about. YOUR story."

So, long story short, that's what these next few posts will be about - me. My testimony. My story. Some of it isn't pretty, a lot of it is boring, but hopefully, there will be that one person out there who wants to hear it and needs to hear it. Hopefully God guides them to this page and lets them read what I have to say about what I've gone through and think, hey. Maybe I'm not alone. So, my story will be told in short bursts of whatever I can think of. Stories from my life, hopefully set to something that makes sense.

Your NR challenge for this ridiculously short quickie post is only this - if you'd like, read the up and coming posts. They're going to be tough to write, because what person wants their life displayed, especially on the internet? It'll be coming soon, though. I can only pray that you possibly may get something out of it.

Oh, and as a second mini challenge, I would appreciate some prayer. God needs to back me up on this, and I need the guts to tell it. Thanks, guys.

Are you in?

-Kimber.

Undo.

2011-04-26T05:39:00.000-07:00

The Real Winner?

2011-04-20T13:59:00.000-07:00

A Real Winner for Christ.

When you think of American Idol, what contestant comes to mind? The ones they have on now with whatever season it is ( I don't watch it anymore, sorry.) or a favorite previous Idol, like Carrie, Clay, or Taylor? More than likely, one of the first names that comes to mind is Kelly Clarkson - the "ultimate Idol," according to many people. Out of all of the winners on the show, Kelly has had the most success, closely followed by Carrie Underwood.
Kelly seems to have it all these days - she has an extremely successful career still going strong, with her latest single with Jason Aldean topping the charts; she has probably all of the money she ever needs or wants; she is on a first-name basis with tons of stars; and of course she is known as the most successful Idol.
If someone would ask me, however, who the most successful Idol is, I would probably blow your mind a little. My pick would be Mandisa. Mandisa wasn't a winner on American Idol, and she wasn't even a runner up. She took ninth place in season five. For some people, this wouldn't qualify as being a winner. To everyone that is saying that, I say - don't count your chickens before they hatch.
Mandisa has recorded with TobyMac numerous times, each time landing a huge hit amongst the Christian music scene. While Kelly and the rest are off earning millions of dollars and doing who-knows-what with their lives, Mandisa is writing books about her life and attempting to use her struggles with food addiction and other things to reach and help people. While Kelly and rest are recording their songs about relationships that fizzle out, cheat, or end badly, Mandisa is singing about the only relationship that really matters - her relationship with Christ.
My favorite song right now is one off of Mandisa's new album. The song is titled "Stronger," and boy, does it pack a punch. The lyrics of this are too good to keep to myself. Here's the chorus, which is my favorite part:

"When the waves are taking you underHold on just a little bit longerHe knows that this is gonna make you stronger, strongerThe pain ain't gonna last foreverAnd things can only get betterBelieve meThis is gonna make you strongerGonna make you stronger, stronger, strongerBelieve me, this is gonna make you stronger."

To me, being a real winner isn't the fame, the fortune, the relationships with guys or girls, or anything like that - nothing materialistic. Check this verse out, found in Matthew:

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." - Matthew 6:19-21

You can earn all the money you want, buy all the things you could ever ask for, and still not be getting the point. You may think you're happy, but consider this - you can't take it with you.
When I was younger, I had this joke book for kids that I got from church. One of my favorites in it went like this: A wealthy man has a dream, where he sees Peter at the gates of Heaven. "It's almost time for you to die and come to Heaven," Peter says, scaring the man. "Can I bring anything with me?" The man asks. Peter looks puzzled. "This is Heaven, where you won't need anything...but sure. You can bring one thing with you." The man wakes up afterwards, and writes a note telling his family he wants to be buried with a briefcase of his solid gold bars. A strange request, right? He wanted them though. Soon, the man dies, just like Peter had said. He reaches the gates of Heaven, where he sees Peter. "So, what did you bring with you?" Peter asks. Smiling, the man shows Peter his briefcase of solid gold bars, and Peter looks puzzled. "Why," Peter asks, laughing, "did you bring pavement?"
It's a silly joke, but it shows a clear point - you can't take it with you. Nothing from this earth is able to come with you to Heaven. Like the verse in Matthew says, don't store things up and save things on earth, because they aren't worth anything in the long run. Instead, store up your treasures and possessions in Heaven, because no one can touch them there. These treasures aren't money, or shoes, or other wealth - these treasures are your relationship with God, and the gifts you can give to others, which is telling them about God so they, too, can reach Heaven one day.
Mandisa may not have won American Idol, but she's doing what this verse and story tells - she's storing up her treasures in Heaven, rather than earning all of the money, fame, and fortune that she can on earth. In the years to come, people may not remember her name like they remember Kelly Clarkson. But I can guarantee you that in Heaven, there will be people thanking her for helping them discover Christ and the real treasures that He has.
So, here's your NR challenge for this post - think about the treasures you're building up. Is it your relationship with God that you're building up? How about your relationships with others to help lead them to Christ? Or, are you earning money, fame, fortune, friends, and other worldly things? Remember what the Bible says - these things don't stay with you forever. So take a look. You may reconsider what you consider real winning and treasure.
Are you in?

-Kimber.

Winning.

2011-03-24T07:38:00.000-07:00

"I'm tired of pretending I'm not a total...rock star from Mars, and people can't figure me out; they can't process me. I don't expect them to. You can't process me with a normal brain."
"I will not believe that if I do something then I have to follow a certain path because it was written for normal people. People who aren't special. People who don't have tiger blood and Adonis DNA."
" I have a different constitution, I have a different brain, I have a different heart. I got tiger blood, man. Dying's for fools, dying's for amateurs."
Do you see the Adonis genes?
"Duh, winning."

If you have to google these quotes to figure out what they mean, then you're right on the same level as the rest of the world. However, if you have to figure out who said these quotes, then you haven't had the news on in a while. Charlie Sheen has been popping up everywhere, instantly becoming a media frenzy after lashing out at his former employers after then cancelled the rest of "Two and a Half Men," then firing Charlie. America has a specialty, and that's to make fun and laugh at people who are completely losing it. Right now, Charlie is the target. The thing is, he isn't doing anything to help his case. With making dozens of interviews in a few days - I think he did like five in a single day - Charlie just isn't stopping.
All over Twitter and Facebook, people are loving on Charlie Sheen. You have "#teamsheen" on Twitter, the tags of "#tigerblood," "#winning," and many more of the crazy sayings that have somehow come out of Mr. Sheen's mouth. There's even a few songs on iTunes right now about the famous Mr. Sheen, and I'll admit that the one is extremely catchy.
Charlie is freaking out because things in his life aren't going the way he wants them to. He's insisting that he is above death, because he has Adonis DNA and Tiger Blood. Interesting, right?
Now let's think about this. Charlie Sheen, a man who looks to be completely broken and has nothing, is claiming that he has something akin to eternal life. Excuse me if I'm wrong, but isn't that a bit impossible? I only know of one way that you can have eternal life, and that sure isn't living with different women and partying.

"For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, so that whoever believes in Him will never die, but have eternal life." - John 3:16

Also, his tiger blood is nothing I've ever heard of. I have, however, heard of something that is incredibly more powerful than that.

"Jesus said to them, 'Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.'" - John 6:53

Here's your NR challenge for this post. Take a look at your life and see what you consider "winning" - is it being the hotshot akin to Charlie Sheen, surrounded by the women, money, drugs, and attention? Or is it being eternally thankful for the REAL blood that will save you - the blood of Jesus Christ, letting you walk forever with Him? If it's not, then I advise you to take a good hard look at your life. Where will all of this get you? If your answer to that isn't Heaven, then that's not winning.
Are you in?

-Kimber.While that may sound a bit morbid, I guarentee you that it isn't. Jesus died for you and me, so that one day we can spend eternity with Him. Sounds a lot better than taking a hit of Charlie Sheen and watching your children weep over your torn body, doesn't it?Hmm. Charlie, try again?

Are you who you want to be?

2011-03-24T07:19:00.000-07:00

This song came on my Pandora playlist this morning and I can't get it out of my head. Take a few minutes to listen to it and really think about the lyrics - are you who you want to be? Are you who God wants you to be?

Are you in?

- Kimber.

What are you writing?

2011-02-25T11:00:00.000-08:00

What is your story?

I'm stuck. I'll admit it. I've been putting off this essay assignment for 2 weeks now, and it definitely isn't going away. I think my professor knows that, because he added another essay and a craft response of 500 words due in a few weeks, after spring break. So now, instead of one essay, I pretty much have 3. Lovely.
Normally, writing comes easily to me. Clearly, I like to write, considering I have this blog to share with anyone and everyone. Something will come to mind and I'll just say it - sometimes this is good, most of the time it's bad. With this essay though, I'm stuck.
Here's the thing. The deal with this class is, you have to write 3 essays. Easy enough, over the course of a semester. But - and there's always a but - you have to revise each one so that you have 3 drafts per essay. That's about 30-40+ pages of writing. I've already turned in this first essay once, and let me tell you, that one was rough. I had it finished, until my USB decided to play peek-a-boo and lose it. So, I had to start over and write it all over again, only this time, I had a fever. Nice, I know. It's strange though. I know what I want to say, and I have my ideas down on the paper. I just have to reword and rewrite some things. It's so hard though. It's like I just don't know what to say. I was so frustrated the other day that I just wanted someone to write it for me, even though I couldn't. Besides, the paper wouldn't have the same effect. It's supposed to be an essay about me. My own story.
I receive a devotional email called "Girlfriends in God" every morning. This morning, one paragraph stuck out to me and made me think of my essay:

"It has been estimated that most people speak enough words in one week to fill a large book of 500 pages which, in the average lifetime, would amount to somewhere around 3000 volumes or 1,500,000 pages."

Now that is a ridiculous number of pages to write. I'm thinking 3 or 4 pages is tough - try 1,500,000!
That wasn't all the devotional had to say about the subject though. It posed an important question:
What kind of story are you writing with your words?
Pretty deep for 8 AM, don't you think?
But honestly, what kind of stories are we writing? Are we writing ones of lives being led for Christ, helping others to grow stronger and ourselves closer in God? Or are we writing what would be a best seller today, full of drama, parties, lust, and sin? It's a good question to ask ourselves.
Your NR challenge for this post is a tricky one. Truly ask yourself, what story am I writing? Am I writing one that God would want to read with a smile? Or one that would displease the most important person in your life, Jesus?
I don't know about you guys, but I have some writing to do.
Are you in?

-Kimber.

The Perfect Gentleman.

2011-02-16T07:27:00.000-08:00

1 Corinthians 13.

Well, Valentine's Day has come and gone for yet another year. According to my Facebook newsfeed, everyone's reaction to the day was different. Those with a "significant other" spent the day either with that person, or enjoyed gifts or other things from the person if they couldn't see them. I personally was part of a scheme for my friend that was plotted by her boyfriend who couldn't see her. (I gave her Zombieland at a specific time according to my instructions, which in all actuality doesn't seem that romantic...but hey, to each his own.) However, to those without a special someone in their life, it was a holiday for a different reason. I think someone described it as "National Single Person's Day," which I found entertaining.
Some people take this holiday to an extreme, with an overabundance of candy, stuffed animals, and mushy cards which perfectly proclaim their undying love. Others see it as another day where they're reminded that they're alone and feel unloved. To those that feel this way, this post is for you.
You see, as you're sitting there debating whether or not to buy yourself a box of chocolates (I bought myself chocolate yesterday) or watering the bouquet of carnations from your Grandmother and ignoring the note that asked why you aren't married and giving her great grandchildren (I really hope this doesn't happen to anyone and if it does, I'm here for you.), you may not realize it but you actually have a Valentine. This Valentine is greater than anyone that you've ever had, or will have. He loves you endlessly, and instead of flowers that will die in a few days, or a card with a mushy greeting, or candy hearts that taste like chalk, he gave you the greatest gift that you'll ever receive - the gift of eternal life with Him.

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son that whoever believes in Him will have eternal life." - John 3:16.

This is probably the most known Bible verse. I'd bet if you would ask someone to name a verse, this would be one of the first ones they would say. It's iconic not only because it makes a great kid's song for Sunday School (fact.), but it packs a double punch - it tells you how you can gain eternal life, and it tells you that God gave the ultimate act of love for us.
However, this act of love from God isn't just a once-a-year present for Valentine's Day. This act of love is available to you 24/7, every day of the year. God longs to have a relationship with you. He's the perfect gentleman - He won't come in unless we ask Him to.
Your NR challenge for this post is just to sit back and realize that you have the world's best Valentine at your doorstep. He's there with the best gift you could or will ever be offered, and it's up to you if you want to accept it. Then, when you do this, realize that He isn't a once-a-year deal or date. He's there everyday, wanting a relationship with you and wanting to talk to you.
Are you in?

- Kimber.

Redemption.

2011-01-25T18:48:00.000-08:00

I'm sure you all were on the edge of your seats waiting for my next post, right? Yeah, I thought so.
Well, what's new since I last posted? The semester has started with a flurry of snow, reading, and chaos; I've taken control of the high score list on our "Michael Jackson: The Experience" game for the Wii; and, oh yeah, my Steelers are headed to Dallas for complete NFL domination.
You knew that was coming, right?
The Steelers in the Super Bowl - who would have thought that at the beginning of the season? Roethlisberger was suspended (for reasons obviously everyone knows and I won't waste my time talking about), and the world thought that they couldn't do anything without him. And really, they had some reasoning behind it. Like him or hate him, Ben is a great athlete. He was most recently described as a "snow plow," because he's so big that it's nearly impossible to tackle him. With the possibility of him being out for 6 games, their season looked bleak.
They had other plans. The team went to a 3-1 start with their backup quarterbacks, and when Ben came back, it was all business. People looked down on them, and said that they weren't good enough. They wouldn't beat the Ravens to get the number one seed. But they did. After their bye week, they couldn't possibly beat the Ravens again to make it to the AFC Championship game. But they did. And after all that, there was no way they could beat fast talking Rex Ryan and his Jets.
You all know the story.
After the game, reporters crowded around Roethlisberger as he hid his head in a championship shirt, taking in the moment. He was overwhelmed at the situation - from the charges and hate and negativity of a few months earlier, to realizing he was on his way to his third Superbowl. The ultimate redemption story.
Except for one.
People were getting pretty shady - sinning all the time, not following God, doing all sorts of bad stuff. Everyone knew it, but they didn't care. They just kept on doing what they were doing. They figured the small amount of things they were doing "right" in their eyes would be enough. It wasn't going well for them, though. God knew that they were going to get in some serious trouble if action wasn't taken. The people weren't going to turn their ways around, and so He sent someone in to bail them out. He sent the only person that was right for the job - His son, Jesus.
Jesus went to Earth and started getting the misfits together - not the people you would expect to help redeem the entire world. But He chose them over others. In the end, Jesus gave His life for us so we would be free from sin - the ultimate redemption.

"In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace." - Ephesians 1:7.

Here in Ephesians it tells us just that. It doesn't really get any simpler than that.
So here's your NR challenge for this crazy post (and I'm sorry it's so crazy; I'm completely exhausted from drama tonight and Blogger wouldn't let me on for the longest time!). Take the time to acknowledge the redemption given you from Jesus. It's something better than any other thing that could ever be given to you - your very own spiritual Superbowl ring.
Roethlisberger was in awe over something as trivial as a football game. Shouldn't we be in complete wonder over something as incredible as God's grace?
Are you in?

-Kimber.

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-25T12:22:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas from me to all of you! I'm thankful for those of you who take the time to read the silly posts that I write, and those of you that follow me and encourage me in this adventure with NR. Remember the reason for the season!
Sometimes, mere words can't explain what Peanuts can.

Again, Merry Christmas everyone!

-Kimber.

Oops.

2010-12-20T17:44:00.000-08:00

(This is an apology!)
Well, hi strangers. Fancy seeing you here. Rather, fancy seeing me here.
I know that I haven't been posting recently, and now that I'm on break I'll be doing what I can to fix that. Goodness knows I have ideas! I have a list of like 6 ideas that I'm itching to write about, I just haven't had the time to do all the research and actually sit down to write it all out. It's coming though, so be patient!
No challenge for this post but to stay tuned!
Are you in?

-Kimber.

Let's Say Thanks!

2010-12-10T16:08:00.000-08:00

Just a Quickie Post for right now, since I posted a long one earlier. I saw this as a link on my friend's Facebook and I couldn't pass up the opportunity to share!

www.letssaythanks.com is a website where you can send a card to a soldier fighting for our freedom. It's simple! Select one of the cute cards provided, and write your name and hometown in the specified areas. Choose a message that reflects how you feel towards the unknown soldier, and hit send! Xerox will then print and send this as a postcard to a soldier serving overseas. They sacrifice their lives for us daily, so shouldn't we at least thank them for this amazing duty?
Also, remember that we are nearly the holiday season, and these soliders are away from their families and homes - two crucial parts of the holiday spirit! Why don't you send a quick note to them reminding them that we are all praying and caring for them this season, and all the time?
Jesus tells us in John 13:34 -

"A new command I give you: love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another."

Your NR challenge for this Quickie Post? Take the 3 minutes out of your Facebooking, surfing the web, or whatever you may be doing, and send a postcard to those overseas reminding them we care and thanking them for what they're doing for us. Jesus loved us so much He died for us; shouldn't we share this amazing love to those who are willing to do the same?
Are you in?

-Kimber.

Giant Mistake.

2010-12-10T15:10:00.000-08:00

Things are looking rough.

So, I'm sitting here trying to get a final project finished before Sunday night. It's a HUGE portion of my grade for my Special Education Technology class, and I have to get it done or else I'll be in major trouble. I have Pandora radio on, trying something new for a change. Normally I have Grooveshark or, lately, Christmas music playing. I found a good station for Contemporary Christian songs, because I needed a lift - lately life has been pretty wild, and sometimes it's just obvious that Satan is using every advantage and chance he has to kick me where it counts.
I started thinking about this, and different aspects that Satan has been pushing in my life started coming to light. I've been tempted with thoughts lately, and my attitude has been less than ideal, and I'm losing my temper fairly quickly now. I've been blaming it on the hectic schedule that I've had lately, with trying to get time to study in, finishing projects, and getting ready for finals next week for school, and all of the other pressures from the outside, like trying to get hours at work which isn't happening, making it to church even though I have class Wednesday nights, and making time for my friends that I've been neglecting because of school. However, it really isn't any of those things, I think. I've been opening myself up to Satan's blows, because, first and foremost, I've been so "busy" that I haven't read my Bible. While this may not seem like a big thing, this is actually a HUGE deal. I normally read it every day, but I haven't because I've been "busy" like I said - with Facebook, trying to catch some sleep, studying, and all of that other stuff.
Because of this, I've started a "chain" of holes that Satan has definitely grabbed a hold on. I haven't read my Bible, like I said, and this led to me not giving everything I have to make time to pray. Sure, I say some short ones through the day and I say one at night, but like Francis Chan said at IYC (see my post on that here), if you aren't giving everything...it doesn't mean anything. We aren't talking to some random person when we pray. We're talking to the creator of the universe, that gave us life and controls everything.
When Satan finds one opening, you can sure bet that he's going to try everything to find another and use it. It's like a domino game - one falls, and shortly all of the others follow. So whenever this happens, it can seem like there's a huge cloud following you that you can't get rid of - like a giant mistake that will never, ever go away, no matter what.
As I said earlier, I had Pandora on when I was thinking this. Remembering everything that was going on - and how I wasn't handling it - automatically killed my spirit and mood. I felt horrible, and it was like I couldn't do anything about it. Just then, Voice of Truth by Casting Crowns came on Pandora. This song is probably known by everyone - it's one of the Sunday morning staples at my home church - and so sometimes it's just another song in the background. This time, however, the lyrics couldn't have helped more.

"Oh, what I would do to have the kind of strength it takes to stand before a giant with just a sling and a stone, surrounded by the sound of a thousand warriors shaking in their armor wishing they'd had the strength to stand. But the giant's calling out my name and he laughs at me, reminding me of all the times I've tried before and failed. The giant keeps on telling me, time and time again, 'Boy, you'll never win. You'll never win.'"

Hello, irony.
This was the absolute perfect song that could have come on at this moment. Why? Because not only does this verse capture everything that was going through my head at that time, but it also has a killer chorus that nails exactly the response that I needed - and the truth.

"But the Voice of Truth tells me a different story. The Voice of Truth says, 'Do not be afraid!', and the Voice of Truth says, 'This is for My glory!' Out of all the voices calling out to me, I will choose to listen and believe the Voice of Truth."

Exactly.
This reminds me of the verse that I repeatedly tell my girls that I counseled at camp this summer. When things get rough, and it seems like everything is too hard, I remind them of Philippians 4:13.

"I can do all this through Him who gives me strength."

This verse is one of my favorites, because it reminds me that, no matter how big the challenge - or the giant - God will give me the strength to overcome it. It's pretty amazing.
Your NR challenge for this post is this - take a lesson from this story - and don't get me wrong! This isn't a "made-up post" that sometimes come on here or other people's blogs, where they use a story someone has told them. This is real. It's my personal deal. - and remember that, no matter how big your giant is, he's nothing compared to God.
There's the saying that I think is appropriate for this post. "Don't tell your God how big your storm is, tell your storm how big your God is."
I'll choose to listen to that, instead of making a giant mistake. What about you?
Are you in?

-Kimber.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-11-25T10:16:00.000-08:00

Give thanks today!

I woke up at 6:00 this morning to hear my mother laughing as she and my father tried to put all of the biggest turkey I've ever seen inside the oven. Ever since then, I've been tortured with the amazing smell of everything that is cooking. We have two turkeys - 30 pounds, I think! Maybe more - potatoes, gravy, pies, and all of that good stuff - not to mention all that will be coming with my family.
Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday, hands down. While Christmas probably comes second, Thanksgiving just wins. Not only is it a holiday where you actually have an excuse to drop everything you're doing (goodbye, Psychology), eat until you feel ready to explode, and watch football all day, but Thanksgiving is a holiday where you don't have to worry about the stress of buying gifts or hoping that the person likes what you got them. (That comes the next day, but that's a different matter entirely.) To me, it's a holiday where family and friends can gather and just enjoy each other's company, relax, and give thanks for all the many blessings that they have.
Times are tough now -unemployment rates are high, the economy seems to stay at rock bottom, and jobs are hard to come by. For many people, life is tough. However, Thanksgiving is a time to celebrate not the hard things, but everything that you have been blessed with - no matter how small. Did you take a shower today? There's a blessing. Are you going to go to a family member's home and spend time with them? There's another. You have clothes to wear, food to eat, water to drink, and a house to live in - all blessings that, unfortunately, we sometimes overlook.
When we look through the Bible for an example of people giving thanks in times of trouble, there are plenty of examples! King David loved to praise God in both the good times and the bad. Daniel was in a den of lions, but still he praised God and gave thanks. When I searched for a verse with the key word being "Thanksgiving" on biblegateway.com, I had 10 results in a matter of seconds, with several more to find and choose. In Psalm 107:1, it says this:

"Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good, His love endures forever."

In Psalm 69:30, we read:

"I will praise God's name in song and glorify Him with thanksgiving."

And, lastly, in Psalm 95:2 it says:

"Let us come before Him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song."

See? All through the Bible there are references saying that we, as God's children, need to give thanks for all of the amazing blessings that He has given us. So this is your NR challenge for today: I challenge you to thank God for everything you can think of, and everything that you can't. From a house, to a computer to read this on, to the eyes that He gave you so you CAN read this. Give thanks.
Have a great Thanksgiving, everyone.

Are you in?

-Kimber.

Think Again.

2010-11-12T13:59:00.000-08:00

Idol Worship « Videos « The Skit Guys

This is just a quickie post, because I found this link earlier and I wanted to put it on here.Take a few minutes and watch this video - it isn't long, and while it's not a funny skit like Tommy and Eddie (The Skit Guys) normally do, it's still definitely worth watching.

Watch it!

Are you in?

-Kimber.

Wow!

2010-11-03T11:17:00.000-07:00

Thank you, Mam! :)

Wow, what a crazy past few days!
I just wanted to say a big thank you to Mama
Ang, who highlighted my blog in the church newsletter this month. How awesome is that? This crazy blog - filled with the random Gaga and weather posts - highlighted so people are told to visit it. Thanks a ton! :)
This is just a quickie post (you can tell by the label!) but I just appreciated Mama Ang doing that for me! It makes me excited to see that other people can stumble across my little corner of cyberspace now and hopefully get interested in something that they read which could lead them a little closer to Jesus!
I'll stop before my head gets too big, but thanks again to Mama, and to those that are here reading for the first time, I encourage you to explore around a bit. Check out my archive on the right sidebar and look for something that catches your eye. Hopefully a title, photo, or idea will jump out at you, and that you like what you see.
No specific challenge for this post, just a small one to challenge you to explore the blog and let God speak to you. Who knows, maybe all you need is a little post about Lady Gaga to reignite your faith!
Are you in?

-Kimber.

Party Time!

2010-10-27T13:14:00.000-07:00

2012 - The End?

We gonna party like, party like it's the end of the world.
We gonna party like, like it's 2012.
You know that it doesn't matter as long as we got each other.
Turn it up, turn it up, mash it up, it ain't the end of the world.
- Jay Sean, 2010

I don't really listen to popular radio stations, and so I'd never heard this song before I found it on the popular Grooveshark list. I've listened to it a couple of times, and never had really paid attention to the lyrics - I think I was typing a paper for my psych class at the time, until I switched to classical (yes I'm lame but it helps me think!) - but when I finally listened to them, it gave me an idea for a blog post. Ta da!
In this song, Jay Sean sings of partying like it's the end of the world. According to popular belief, the world is supposed to end in 2012 - December 21st, according to some reports from this website: http://www.december212012.com/ - and so Jay sings of partying then and forgetting that it's all going to end soon.
Are the Mayans right? Is the world really going to end in 2012, and leave us all...where, exactly? What's going to happen to us? Will we die? Or just kinda float around and chill, waiting for something to happen? No one knows.
Except one person, of course.

“But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only. For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left. Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one left. Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect." - Matthew 24:36-44

Now, after that ridiculously long passage - sorry about all the reading, but it's worth it! - we learn that no one will know the hour of Christ's return or know the "end of the world" as the Mayans seemed to know. Jesus gives us examples in this passage that let us better understand what He means. He gives the example of Noah, where Noah and his family knew the great flood was coming, and tried to warn the people of it. Those people didn't believe him, and went on living their sinful lives. Then, suddenly and without warning, the flood that they insisted wasn't happening...happened. They all drowned because they didn't listen to Noah and heed his warnings about the flood. Jesus also tells us that His coming will be swift, and people will disappear suddenly and without warning. When there may be two men working outside, one could be gone in an instant. This also goes with two women working - one could disappear suddenly, the other staying there.
Jesus goes on to tell us to stay awake and be ready at any time for the end of the world. He gives the second example of a man who would stay awake if he knew that a thief would try to enter his house that night. He tells us that we should be like this man, ever ready for His return.
So what does all this mean? It means, basically, that the Mayans couldn't know that the world is going to end in 2012 - because only God knows when Jesus will return and what will happen. Does this mean that Jay Sean's song is wrote? Partly. Obviously the 2012 part could be wrong - who knows, it could happen! I'm not one to say it will or won't! - but the rest is right, in a sense. We should be making the most of every day and living like it's our last day! Of course, we should be living these days out in a godly way that He would approve of, but nonetheless, we should be partying like it's our last day!
So here's your NR challenge for this post. I challenge you to forgo the hype and belief that the world is going to end in 2 years. Read the Bible, and listen to what it says - only God knows the hour of His return, and so we constantly need to be on our guard, as well as living a life that would be pleasing to Him!
Are you in?

-Kimber.

It's war.

2010-10-27T12:32:00.000-07:00

It's go time.

All over the news you can hear reporters saying how various countries are constantly at war with each other. Every time one seems to come to a conclusion, the other changes its mind or goes to war with another country. Even the United States is still involved in the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan - almost a decade after the 9/11 attacks. Almost every country has been involved in a war or struggle of some sort, whether political, religious, ect. - people can find a reason almost anywhere to fight.
Before I continue with this post, I want to make it clear that I'm not arguing or blaming anyone for being at war. I support our troops 100% and thank God that they are sacrificing every day to protect us. I much admire them and am proud that they stand up for our freedom.
But, anyways. Everywhere you turn there is someone starting a conflict. All around are people arguing and trying to overcome each other for...what? In the end, after the issue is resolved, someone is going to be unhappy and eventually it'll start over!
We spend so much time debating wars and conflicts worldwide. While some of this is ohk, I think that, sometimes, we spend too much time arguing about arguing! Instead of debating over things like that and spending time on that which could be used elsewhere, there's something else that should really capture our attention. It's the biggest war that has ever happened in the history of, well, ever. While it should be something that all of us think of and try to impact, in reality we tend to put it farther down than it should be in our list of priorities.
For those that know what war I'm talking about, do you agree? And those that don't, let me enlighten you:
It's the war over us.
Since the beginning, God and Satan have been in a fierce battle over something extremely important - us. As humans, it doesn't really seem like something that we realize - after all, it isn't a war that's covered by the media so we can see the Tweets, updates, or photos that relate to it. It isn't a war that "affects" us everyday - God and Satan don't "show up" every day visibly, trying to tug at our arms and pull us onto their "side."
Or is it?
See, there's this pretty awesome - especially awesome, since it came from the most awesome being that ever was - media source that covers this never-ending war. It's called the Bible, and while it may seem old, it actually is way before it's time - as in, it chronicles what is supposed to happen at the end of the world as we know it, and tells of Christ's second coming.
In this world of constantly being updated about the progress of any given war, conflict, or battle, this is war that sometimes can leave people in the dark. Who is winning? Who is losing? What's the deal and where is it taking place?
As for answers, I'm not saying that I know either. Nobody really knows except those involved - God and Satan. However, Satan's a little off. As the days go on, he becomes more and more convinced of his victory. Think of all that is in the world - all the pornographic images, the fighting, and hate and lies and all of that nonsense. That's Satan gaining ground. Sure, he unfortunately has a lot on his side. But what he doesn't know is this. At the end of time, when Jesus comes back after taking all of the Christians on earth (see the book of Revelation to get the whole story; it's a great promise!) Satan's in a big heaping amount of trouble. God is going to defeat him, and Satan will be thrown into a lake of fire for all of eternity - making him the loser. Revelation 20:10 tells it clearly:

"And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever."

You may be thinking that there isn't any way that we can help - and guess what! You're wrong. It's recruiting time boys. You can help with this. How you ask? Simple.
Lead someone to Christ.
An act that may take 5, 10, 15 minutes could mean an eternity for that person to spend in Heaven with Christ, instead of an eternity away from Him, which is simply the worst punishment that ever was or ever will be. We're called to do this anyway, from Jesus Himself, in Matthew.

"Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." - Matthew 28:19.

So, here's your NR challenge for this post. Get involved in this war that's invading in our personal lives day and night, no matter where or who you are. Take a stand for Christ and lead someone over to the winning side. And don't give up hope - while it may seem like things are going rough, and that your efforts aren't food enough, think again. Satan's probably cringing right now as you read this, hopefully mentally toughening up and realizing your call in this fight. Remember in Ephesians 6 it tells us to put on the full armor of God - the belt of truth, breastplate of righteousness, shield of faith, helmet of salvation, and sword of the Spirit. Put these on, and we become unstoppable.Together, we can make a difference. Strap on your helmets, ladies and gentlemen. As one of my favorite quotes says, God promises a safe landing, not a calm passage.
Are you in?

-Kimber.

How Great is Our God!

2010-10-13T06:44:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone,
just a quick post today because I'm studying for my midterm for my ECED class tonight. I just wanted to tell you all once again how great our God is.
I can't go into details just yet, but those closest to me know what's going on in this hectic life of mine. All I can say is that boy, does God answer prayer or what! While "no" is always an answer, "yes" is still one of the greatest answers ever!
I can't challenge you to do this - that would be wrong! - but I ask you instead to pray for me and what's going to be happening in my life in the next few months. Big changes are possible, and I'm leaving it to God to get me through it.
Are you in?

-Kimber.

Rain.

2010-10-06T07:17:00.000-07:00

This won't be a long post, just something short that I thought of as I sit in the library waiting for my friend to take this computer.
Well, it's raining. Again. For like the 7381963786478th day in a row. Don't you love it? I loved rain when I was in high school, because looking out the window and seeing it made me happy. It gave the day a certain feel, and even the teachers seemed to feel it too - rainy days normally turned into movie days pretty quickly. But now that I'm in college, rain isn't so high on my favorite list since now, when it rains, I have to walk through it. Honestly, I can't wait for snow only because it's not as wet and miserable - and that's a lot coming from me, since I can't stand winter! But as I write this from the second floor of the library, next to the windows looking out on the grove, I see how pretty it kind of is.
I'm reminded of God's promise to Noah after the flood, in Genesis 9. He gave the rainbow as a sign of His love and His promise that He would never flood the earth again. (Genesis 9:12-17.) So everytime a rainbow appears in the sky, we're reminded to this day that he will never flood the earth again.
But what about days like today, where it seems like there isn't anything special - it's just raining, and raining, and raining, thanks to the aftermath of the hurricane? It doesn't mean that there isn't a promise! Just beacuse there isn't a rainbow out in the sky doesn't mean that we should forget everything that God has promised us.
So here's your NR challenge for this very short and sporadic post. (Sorry about that.) Remember God's promise today, wherever you are - whether it's raining and pouring there, or the sun is shining and everything is beautiful. God is amazing - let's always remember that!
Are you in?

-Kimber.

Grow up! (Not.)

2010-10-04T16:28:00.000-07:00

For once, I don't have anything pressing for my time tonight. I finished most of my work yesterday since we were home all day. This feeling is incredible - for the first time since the start of classes, I don't have psychology to read, take notes on, or journal about in the weekly journal we have to keep. I don't have theater to read, even though I have a script to read which shouldn't take long. I don't have anything for my ECED class or my EDEX, which is great. This feeling is amazing!
The feeling may be in part to how my day has been. While it's been raining (and raining...and raining...and raining...) it's still been a good day. You see, this is why: this past weekend I got together with 2 of my old friends who I haven't seen in a while, thanks to college. It was great to hang out with them and just relax, not worrying about grades or studying or any of the other stresses that have been so dominant lately. We went to a church rummage sale, and while walking around, my friend and I found this hat:

Why, yes, I love it too. This hat automatically made me laugh and think of how when I was younger, my brother and I got Pokemon posters for Christmas one year. They were the ridiculous ones, with all of the Pokemon on them, complete with stickers you could color and put on each space on the poster. It was the best gift I'd ever been given. He and I sat there in the living room for like 3 hours that day and just colored all of the stickers and put them on the poster. It was sweet.

I was one of the world's happiest kids then because of that poster. And this weekend, when I found that hat and bought it, it was like I was returning to my childhood and I was the happy pathetic nerdy kid all over again. I wore it all day today, and let me tell you - it kept the rain and the cold wind out for my poor head, that's for sure. Yeah, I got some stares and some smiles, but I just kept this ridiculous grin on my face and kept walking.

You know, as kids, we got excited about a whole bunch of stuff. Christmas. Pokemon. The toy in the cereal box. Going places in the car. Winning races and getting prizes. Simple stuff that today, as adults, we don't really even think about, much less get excited for. Here's an example: As a child, I LOVED going places (excluding the doctor, dentist, and orthodontist, of course.) The car was fun to ride in, and I remember always grabbing my CD player (since this was before the days of the iPod, imagine!) with my Britney Spears CD in it and my huge headphones and rushing to the car. I got so excited to go anywhere - every trip was an adventure. Now consider today. While I still like going places and getting out of the house, I hate driving. Hate, hate, hate it. I always was the one on the games in the arcade where you drove cars, and yet today, I hate driving. Period. I just don't get excited for it at all. Funny how that works, huh?

Why can't we keep the excitement that we have as children and make it last throughout our lives? This is something that could be so useful - think about getting excited for work or school, instead of dreading it and having our attitudes make it worse than it really is? And what about our faith? In Matthew 18:3 Jesus said:

"I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven."

Jesus also said, in Matthew 19:14,

"Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."

Jesus is saying that unless we have the faith and excitement of a child when it comes to a relationship with Him, we won't be giving it our all and being sincere. Kids are so excited about everything, like I've said - so we should use that excitement and dive into our relationship with God!
Say you just gave a little kid a present. Girl or boy, it makes no difference, let's just say that you gave them one of the coolest presents they've ever had in their life. How do they respond? After screaming and shouting because they're so excited over it, they thank you a million times and more often than not rush over to give you a hug. Now think about it: God gave us the greatest present of all - everything we have. Our lives. The world around us. The company of other people. And, most importantly, the gift of eternal life through the death of His son. How are we thanking Him? By ignoring it and taking it for granted? Not even accepting it? A kid wouldn't do that. Why are we, as God's kids, doing that?
Here's your NR challenge for this post. I challenge you to have the faith and excitement of a child when it comes to everything in your life the next few days. Smile more and be happy. Take nothing for granted. Thank those in your life that deserve it - parents, friends, family members, anyone. And more importantly, get on your knees and thank the one that gave it all just for you and me. He's waiting to return the huge hug that we should be giving Him. So what do you say?
William Strafford once said, "Kids: they dance before they learn there is anything that isn't music." Let's do just that. Dance without music, knowing that you're a child of the amazing creator who loves you and would give anything for you. It'll brighten your day, and maybe someone else's as well.
Are you in?

-Kimber.

Women of Faith - Rebekah.

2010-09-21T19:50:00.000-07:00

Rebekah - Who are you when no one's looking?

Boy, have I missed writing or what! Well, writing something that isn't papers or essays or quiz answers, that is.

In Genesis 24 we read of Abraham sending a servant out to find a bride for his son, Isaac. If I were this guy, I'd be a little afraid. Hello, pressure? Instead of freaking out, like I may have done, the servant pulls the smart move and prays to God for a sign.

"Then he prayed, "O LORD, God of my master Abraham, give me success today, and show kindness to my master Abraham. See, I am standing beside this spring, and the daughters of the townspeople are coming out to draw water. May it be that when I say to a girl, 'Please let down your jar that I may have a drink,' and she says, 'Drink, and I'll water your camels too'-let her be the one you have chosen for your servant Isaac. By this I will know that you have shown kindness to my master."" - Genesis 24:12-14.

That's one devoted servant! He wanted to be as sure as possible that he had found the right girl for Isaac, the perfect one that God wanted for Isaac.
No sooner does the servant do this then a girl named Rebekah comes to the well to draw some water. Scriptures tell us that she is the relative of Abraham, which is the first thing that Abraham required in his son's future wife. Check. The second thing we learn is that Rebekah is beautiful - a major plus, obviously, but not required. The third thing we read is that Rebekah is a virgin. Check. Just like that, three things that were important were settled - and Rebekah hadn't even talked to Abraham's servant yet.
Rebekah goes over to the well and draws water, when the servant rushes over. Seeing his chance to have his prayers answered, he asks for a drink of water. Rebekah gladly gives it to him, and - the servant's prayers becoming answered - waters his camels as well. She doesn't even know it, but Rebekah just passed the unwritten test. Check, and mate.
The servant had prayed for a sign - just a hint that this was "the one." Rebekah caught his eye by going the extra mile in common courtesy and offering him and his camels a drink. She was exactly what he was hoping to see - a selfless, caring woman. Rebekah had the inner beauty that radiated from her selfless nature and her purity as a virgin. She was a complete beauty, inside and out - lucky Isaac! They were introduced and immediately married. Rebekah's admirable, kind nature took her from watering camels at the well to becoming a part of a family chosen by God to bless the world (see Genesis 17:16.)

But the story doesn't end here. Later in life, Rebekah was put to the test again - and this time, she didn't do so well. She and her younger (and favorite) son, Jacob, double-teamed Isaac in his old age and conned him into giving him Isaac's blessing instead of the eldest son, Esau.

Our reputation lies in who people think we are when they watch us from afar. However, character is who we really are - especially when no one is looking. When I taught this lesson to my girls at camp this summer, I used the Pixar movie The Incredibles as an example. In the movie, the characters are superheroes that have to hide their true selves and act as if they were normal people, because the real "normal" people don't like the superheroes. Their reputation lies not on what people think of them as "normal" people, but rather the superhero identity that they have when no one knows who they really are. In the same way, character is who we really are - especially when no one is looking. Rebekah knew what it was like to win and lose in both arenas. She lived up to her selfless reputation one moment, unaware that anyone was even looking at her. But then she showed her entire family a completely different side of her character.

Like Rebekah, we live in a watching world. Everywhere we go, people are ready to take one look and judge us by what they see - or what they thing they see. People always look to see if we're real, and for signs of our true nature. Are you one way at church and another at school or work? Are you sweet to your friends' parents while mistreating your own? If others catch you in the right moment, at the right time, what are they most likely to see?

The NR challenge for this post is obvious - be a Rebekah in the early part of her life, not the end! Let your inner beauty shine and your reputation show who you really are, nothing fake. Don't be like Rebekah was at the end - completely fake and unreal.
Are you in?

-Kimber.

WHAT ON EARTH IS THIS ALL ABOUT?

2010-09-08T19:19:00.000-07:00

WHAT ON EARTH IS THIS ALL ABOUT?

Put a smile on!

2010-09-07T15:43:00.000-07:00

Young at Heart.

Hey everyone!
College is crazy, and due to recent weird/moronic happenings - I say nothing - I can't write as much as I wanted to. I have so many ideas, but the time and now, the ability to write it all, isn't there - at least for the time being. So, I've decided to make a "Put a Smile On" day, where you can just come and read/see something that will hopefully brighten your day a bit.
This is a photo I took on top of the ferris wheel when my family went to Idlewild on Sunday. I love it!
Hope it makes you smile!

Are you in?
-Kimber.

Women of Faith - Hagar.

2010-09-04T17:03:00.000-07:00

Hagar - Headed Nowhere Fast.

You know how someone will tell you a story, and it seems like that's all there is to it? Then another person who was there will come and give their side of the story, and it seems completely different. Sometimes we forget that there are two sides to a story - even something as famous and well-known as a Bible story. When I saw the highlight for Hagar in my Bible, I wasn't too thrilled. I considered skipping over this as a topic - I mean, it's just Hagar. There isn't anything too special about her - Sarah messed up and made her get pregnant with Abraham so that "Sarah" would have a son, and it turned out to be a big, bad idea, and Hagar was, in all sense, completely screwed over. Why would I want to write a post about her?
Then I read the highlight. I was blown away; I had never put myself into Hagar's shoes before. She deserved to be highlighted in my blog, I decided.
Here's why.
In Genesis 16, we first learn of Hagar. She's Sarah's - then Sarai - servant, and that's about all we know of her. God promised Abram/Abraham and Sarai/Sarah a son (read my Women of Faith highlight on Sarah to get the full story: Women of Faith - Sarah. ) and both of them were old, old, old. Sarah thought, there's not a chance that I'll have a son in my old age! So what does she do? She tells her husband to sleep with her servant, Hagar, so that they may have the son that God promised.
Now, think about it. You're working for an older couple, and God tells them that they're going to have a son. Time passes, and it gets more and more improbable. Then, all of a sudden, your mistress comes and says, "Hey girl, go make me a sandwich. By the way, you're off tonight because you have to sleep with my husband. I want a son, and I'll get one - through you."
Say what?
Poor Hagar didn't have a say AT ALL in this! She just did what she was ordered to do, and pretty soon she was pregnant with her son, who was named Ishmael.
God obviously didn't have a part in this, and He was ticked. That's not how He planned it, and not at all what he told them to do. Pretty soon, Abraham and Sarah realized this, and then Hagar was stuck in an already bad situation - about to be made a lot worse. She could have done many things - stayed there and dealt with it, for example. But what does she do? She runs off.
She encounters an angel in the desert, who she talks to for a while until being convinced to go back home. That angel had two very imporant questions for her: What was she running away from? Being mistreated. A pretty uncomfortable living situation. An inferiority complex - knowing she would always be second best to the "real" wife, and she was essentially a mistake. However, besides all the awful things that Hagar was running away from, God called her to also examine where she was going.
Like Hagar, we're never really "standing still" in life. We may try and avoid our problems by running away...but where are we going? To better choices? A promising future? Or are we like Hagar, sitting in the desert - going nowhere fast? She began to realize that maybe she didn't know how to take care of business on her own.
When we hit a crisis on our road, what's our first instinct? Run away and hide, if we can? Sometimes it seems like we're completely positive that we know exactly what we're doing - until God comes along and asks us to consider our ways.
Here's your NR challenge for this post. I challenge you to see what you're running from. School or college? Work? Family problems or arguements with friends? Realize that whatever it is, it won't work. Turn everything over to God, and see that only He can fix things. Wait too long, and you'll be stranded and things will look even worse. Always remember, though, that no matter what, God will be there. Life isn't fair sometimes - take the lesson from Hagar! Even so, though, God can take something rough and make it something absolutely amazing.
Are you in?

-Kimber.

Drink Up.

2010-08-31T18:54:00.000-07:00

Would Jesus be the gold flavor, do you think?

Another day on campus, and yet another blog idea. At least there's something to be said about higher education. Well, that and the insane amount of studying you have to do. I just studied for 2 hours as I read and highlighted my first chapter in Psychology, and then I remembered I have 2 chapters to read for Intro to Theater, the book to look over for Chem and Chem Lab, and I still have yet to connect to the campus drive to get the reading and powerpoints for my Geography class. All this, and they haven't even started teaching yet!
So, once again, I'm adventuring around campus, this time walking with my friend when we pass one of the dining halls at the far end of campus. Parked outside was a Vitamin Water truck, and two people in front of it were passing out bottles of - what else - Vitamin Water. I was handed one - Black Cherry Lime? Gross? - all of a sudden, and popped it in my backpack as we continued walking (after taking a sip, and declaring it to be too disgusting to consume.)
As I ended the day, I saw a slogan from Vitamin Water - "Healthy Hydration for Every Occasion." It got me thinking - every occasion? Ohk, so you could drink it after a soccer game. Smart. After a speech. Ohk, that works too.
But what if you're really, really thirsty? There's only one thing that will satisfy that - and it's not Vitamin Water.
In John 4, we read of Jesus going to a well in Samaria, in a town called Sychar. He's been walking all day, and by this point is really tired, and understandably thirsty. A Samaritan woman comes to draw water from the well, and Jesus asks her to get him a drink.
Now, let's clear something up. Jesus was a Jew. In his time, Jews didn't talk to Samaritan people, and so Jesus asking her for a drink was shocking to her. She replies, "But you're a Jew, and I'm a Samaritan - that's a no-no!"

Jesus answered her, "If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water." (John 4:10)

The woman is now probably more confused than before. Instead of a simple, "Oh, my bad." Jesus replies with this? She says, "Dude. You don't have anything to draw water with, and that sucker is deep. Where can you get this 'living water?' Are you greater than our father Jacob, who made the well?" He replies, "Everyone who drinks from this well will get thirsty again, sooner or later. But whoever drinks the water I have will never thirst again. The water I give him will become a spring, welling inside of them a spring of eternal life."
That sounds awesome, doesn't it? The Samaritan woman thought so too, and jumped at the chance to recieve it. "Give me some!" she asks. He tells her to go get her husband. Easy enough, right?
Wrong. This woman doesn't have one, and she tells Jesus this. He says, "You're right in the fact that you don't have a husband. In reality, you've had 5 husbands and the man you're with now isn't your husband."
Well, dang.
Here's the rest of the story, from John 4:19-26:

"Sir," the woman said, "I can see that you are a prophet. Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem." Jesus declared, "Believe me, woman, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth."
The woman said, "I know that Messiah" (called Christ) "is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us." Then Jesus declared, "I who speak to you am he."

Jesus can provide water that can quench any thirst you've ever had, and ever will have. Vitamin Water can't say that.
So here's your NR challenge for this post. I challenge you to dive into the "water" that God has given us. Study the Bible and what He has to say about it, and then make the leap into faith. It'll be more refreshing than any Black Cherry Lime you've ever had.
Are you in?

-Kimber.

(P.S. - I apologize for all of the horrible "water" references and jokes. It comes with the job.

Christianity = College.

2010-08-30T18:58:00.000-07:00

Christianity 101?

College started today, and boy oh boy, talk about a change. I was sitting in the park when 3 people - an older man, younger man, and student-age girl - came over to me and started asking me if I knew Jesus. As a Christian, I told them, yes, of course. They quizzed me until they really saw that when I said I was a Christian, I meant it.

As they walked away, it got me thinking. College is already so much more different than anything I've experienced so far. Instead of setting your watch by A-R time when you get to school, you glance at your phone and see how long until class. No annoying bells telling you to move - I don't even remember what they sound like - instead you have to watch the time and figure it out yourself, because classes are insanely spread out. Instead of suffering through lunches like pizzaburgers and rib BBQ sandwiches, I can choose what I want to eat and when I want to eat it. It's going to be as lot of work, but I can say - I like college.
The thing with college is, though, is that you have to discipline yourself to do what needs done, when it needs to be done. Professors won't care at all that you don't come to class, unlike high school, where you HAD to go. You know what you need to do - homework, projects, and other assignments - but noone is going to guide you along. You have a "rule book" - the class syllabus, the college handbook or guide - and normally it sets an expectation, like an academic standard for integrity. You decide what "road" you go on - the right one, where you do your own work and follow the expectations, or the wrong one, where you copy, cheat, and barely do what needs to be done to get by. It's your choice, and it's entirely up to you.
Your Christian walk is like that, too.
Once you put your faith in Christ - like leaving high school for college - your life changes, even though it may not seem like it. You're still going to school, you're still leading the same life. However, like college, once you turn your life over to Christ, you're playing by a different set of rules. The Bible is now your guide, and there are things in there - like the 10 Commandments, for example (Exodus 20: 2 - 17ish) - that tell you how to live.
The same thing applies to your decision, however. Like Christianity, you can choose to follow God's word and his plans for you. It's your own choice, and noone can make that decision for you. Likewise, you can choose to avoid it and not accept God's grace and forgiveness and His way of living. You can live your own life doing what you want, and it seems perfect, in a sense. Complete free will - God's gift to man. Watch out though, because at the end of everything comes the result - in college, living how you want will earn you a flunking grade, or worse. Same thing with your Christian walk. Except here, there aren't any do-overs and make-ups that you can take once life is over. You can't try again like you can on an assignment. It's simple - Heaven, or Hell. Your choice.
So here's your NR challenge for this post - I challenge you to make the choice between the "fun" life - going down the wrong road, and straying from what God's will is - and the "difficult" life. Life with God isn't going to be easy, and by no means is Christianity a walk in the park. You're going to get persecuted. You're going to get made fun of. You may lose friends, respect, anything. But in the end, isn't it worth it - when you walk into Heaven and hear God saying, "Well done my good and faithful servant?" Of course it is!
So make the choice. It's up to you.
Are you in?

-Kimber.

Women of Faith - Lot's Wife.

2010-08-27T08:59:00.000-07:00

Lot's Wife - Leaving the Past Behind.

Sodom is in some serious trouble. People are sinning everywhere, and it's like God's rules don't apply anymore. Case in point: in Genesis 19, we learn 2 angels come to Lot's house, and prepare to spend the night. Before the men go to bed, however, all the men from the part of the city of Sodom, from young men to older men, surround Lot's house. They start shouting at Lot inside, telling him to make the 2 "men" - i.e., the angels - come outside so they can have sex with them. (Genesis 19: 1-5)
Whoa, back up here? Men are screaming at Lot, demanding that he make these 2 strangers come outside and do...what? It's clear that Sodom had turned from God in a most extreme way.
Lot knows that the men are sinning, and so he tried to at least make it right by offering his daughters to the men. The two men inside pull Lot back inside, and tell Lot to take his family and all his things and leave, because God is going to destroy Sodom. They all grab their things and run, while the two men tell them not to look back under any circumstances. That wouldn't be hard, right?
Apparentally not. As they run through the plains outside of Sodom, God begins raining down burning sulfur, covering the city. One person looks back though - Lot's wife. Immediately she's covered by the sulfur, turning her into what the scriptures say "a pillar of salt."
After reading this, you may ask yourself, "Um, Mrs. Lot? Why in the WORLD would you turn around???" It's easy to think that she did something rather dumb. But honestly, think about it - she's leaving everything she ever knew behind her while she's running towards a completely unknown future. She's leaving everything behind - her home. All her things except what she could carry. Her friends. Her whole life was going up in flames behind her! You can't honestly say that you wouldn't turn around and look.
What's God telling you to run from in your life? When God tells you to move on from a friendship that isn't helping you out, do you cut it off immediately? Or do you find yourself still hanging around them, telling yourself it won't be for too much longer? Or even this - a break-up. You're devastated...and hoping that you'll get back together even though they're not good for you. When you get hung up on "what might have been," it keeps you from seeing "what might be." God has new and way better possibilities in the future, if you'll only trust him.
So here's your NR challenge for this post. I challenge you to let go of your past, without looking back for a second thought or another glance. Take it from Lot's wife. When it comes to letting go of your past, one look back can be your last.
Are you in?

-Kimber.

Women of Faith - Sarah.

2010-08-25T13:54:00.000-07:00

Sarah - God Must be Joking, Right?

"The Lord had said to Abram, 'Leave your country, your people, and your father's household and go to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who will bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.'" - Genesis 12:1-3.

Talk about an opening statement. In this passage, God tells Abram to leave his country and go where God tells him - somewhere basically unknown to him. But, who is he to question the Big Man? So, he takes all his stuff, his wife, Sarai, nephew Lot, and all his slaves, and heads out. Abram wasn't a spring chicken here, though. He was 75.
A few verses later, we learn of a famine in the land. (Genesis 12:10) Abram and Sarai go to Egypt to live, because the famine is severe and there's no way they could last where they were. Now, Sarai is a babe. She may be quickly approaching old age (maybe?) but she's still beautiful. Abram realizes this, and decides to save his own hind end. He tells his wife to pretend that she is his sister, because is the Egyptians take a liking to her, they may kill him to get to her if he is her husband. To save himself, he's her "brother." Of course, exactly what he didn't want to happen, happens. Pharaoh sees her, and dang if he doesn't want her. He takes her as a wife, and Abram's treated well, since after all, he is her "brother." Soon though, God starts the smackdown. He inflicts Abram's house with plagues until he confesses that Sarai is actually his wife.
Skipping to Genesis 15, we read of God making a covenant with Abram, telling him that his offspring will be like the number of stars - countless. (Genesis 15:5) This is comical to him, because as of now, he and Sarai have no children, and they're both pretty old.
In Genesis 16, though, Sarai makes a mistake. She doesn't believe that she'll have a son, and so she thinks that the son God promised is one born through her servant, Hagar. She has Abram sleep with her, and she becomes pregnant. Things get messy fast, with Hagar despising Sarai and Sarai in turn mistreating Hagar because she hates her. Hagar fights back by running away to the desert, but eventually comes back and has her son, Ishmael. Abram is 76 at this point.
God makes another covenant with Abram, and changes his name to Abraham, and Sarai's name to Sarah. Sarah hears she'll have a son in her old age, and she laughs, doubting God. However, it's God who has the last laugh, after Sarah becomes pregnant and Isaac is born when Abraham is 100. Sarah eventually came to believe God before Isaac was born, and was even the first woman in the list of the faithful located in Hebews 11 (see Hebrews 11:11.)
Sarah's story seems like a Jerry Springer show, with the headline being "Senior Citizen Gives Birth to Miracle Baby!" Sometimes, doesn't that feel like our own lives though? The world can make us feel like God's call on our life could interest talk show producers. Other headlines that could relate to us could be ones like, "Local Sophomore is Last Virgin in the World!" "He Said No to Steroids!" and other things like that. Sometimes we just don't feel like we can pull off what God wants us to do. There's no way we could start a ministry in church. There isn't a chance that I could sing a special in front of the whole congregation. It's almost comical. But, like Sarah found out, God's promises ring true. They're solid, and come true every time.
Sarah evidently turned her doubts into faith, and look what happened - she not only had a child at an old age, but because an ancestor of Jesus Christ himself! Do you believe that God will come through for you, too?
Here's your NR challenge for this post. I challenge you to be like Sarah after she believed God. Once you put your faith in God, you'll see things like never before. Do you have doubts and worries? Throw them out, and dive wholeheartedly into what God's telling you. He's trying to make you see something, all you have to do is take the time and have the faith to find out.
Are you in?

-Kimber.

Women of Faith - Eve.

2010-08-24T10:45:00.000-07:00

Eve - The Girl Who Wants It All.

So shoot me, I couldn't stay away from writing too long. I ran upstairs almost seconds after hitting "post" and grabbed my Bible and my notes from camp, ready to start with at least one of 2 Women of Faith posts today. And of course, when you start, you have to start at the beginning. Thus, I bring you Eve.

"So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them." - Genesis 1:27.

In the beginning, as we know, God created the heavens and the earth. Pretty soon he realized that earth needed something, after all the animals and waters and plants and whatnot were made. So, like Genesis 1:27 says, he created man. Adam was supposed to be in charge of the whole joint - naming the animals and keeping watch over them, work the garden, and to just watch over Eden. Pretty soon though, God realized that it wasn't good for him to be alone - he needed a helper, and none of the animals he had created were a good fit. So, as Genesis 2:21 says, God caused Adam to fall into a deep sleep. He took a rib from Adam's side, and with it formed a helper for him - a woman. Adam said in Genesis 2:23 that she was flesh of his flesh and bone of his bones, and would be called a woman for she was taken out of man.
Life after this seemed pretty good. Eve had it made - a perfect husband for her (technically, as we discussed in church one Sunday, one of the few "matches made in heaven" - literally!), no shame at all because they walked the garden naked - why would they need clothes? - and the perfect place to live, in the middle of a gorgeous garden, where she and Adam took walks with God all the time. She had it all. The only restriction that they had was that they weren't allowed to eat from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, located in the middle of the garden. No big though, right?
Then, along comes this slimy fella. The serpent, we learn in Genesis 3:1, was more crafty than any of the other animals that God had made. He starts pestering Eve with questions, asking, "Did God really tell you that you can't eat from that tree?" He told her that if she ate from it, she would be like God, knowing good and evil, and not die like God had said.
Eve could have stopped right there and said, listen. I have a perfect life. I don't need to be like God, because noone can be like him. I have everything I want. But she didn't. Instead, she snuck on over to the tree and looked at the fruit, seeing that it looked good. She took some, and ate it, and instead of sticking to her own self, gave some to Adam and he ate it too. Then the eyes of both were opened, and they realized - hello! - that they were buck naked, and so they started covering themselves with fig leaves.
Soon, God starts walking around in the garden. He's happy, because he made it and it's amazing, and everything is perfect. He starts looking around for Adam, and for some reason can't find him. So he calls to him, "Where are you?"
Oh snap.
Adam answers, "I heard you, and I was afraid because I was naked, so I ran and hid."
God's like, "...what?"
Here comes the boom.
"How did you know you were naked?" God says, "Did you eat from the tree I commanded you not to eat from?" I imagine at this point Adam and Eve look at each other and we would hear an audible "gulp" coming from both of them. Adam's response to God's question? She made me do it. So God turns to Eve. "What is this you have done?" He asks. Eve's response? The snake made me do it. So, God turns to the snake, and curses him with crawling on his belly and having Eve's children forever smash him in the face and hate him - giving us today's gross snakes and reptiles.
He turns to Eve, and lovingly gives us women pains in childbirth and having our husbands have the power over us. Thanks, dude.
And lastly, he turns to Adam, saying how Adam and his offspring will forever have to work for what they want, and then condemns him to the saying, "dust to dust" meaning he's going to die, instead of having a great life with God in the garden. Then God made garmets of skin for Adam and Eve, casting them out of the Garden of Eden forever to work the fields.
Isn't that crazy? Eve had EVERYTHING! The perfect guy, body, and life, but she wanted more, and by eating from the tree, she got more than she had EVER bargained for.
Do you know a real-life Eve? She's always trying new things like smoking or drinking because it may make her seem "cooler" - and she gets everyone else to try it too, just like Eve had Adam eat the fruit too. Eve's decision had major consequences.
Whether we want to or not, sometimes we may do the wrong thing to be "happy" or "popular." We need to look at Eve's story to realize that we should be content with what we have! Everything that we do have is from God, and he can easily take it away or give us more - all depending on our actions. Satan knows exactly the right ways to tempt us, but face it - when it comes to doing the wrong thing, we have only ourselves to blame.
Here's your NR challenge for this post - I challenge you to curb your inner Eve-complex. We're always wanting more and never satisfied with what we have, but I ask you to try to beat this mindset. Realize that what you have is from God and it's absolutely perfect. Don't ask for more, because Satan knows how to reach you in the places you're weakest, and the consequences could be dire.
Are you in?

-Kimber.

Women of Faith.

2010-08-24T09:24:00.000-07:00

Women of Faith series, coming soon!

Hey everyone! This is just a short quickie post because 1, my notes are upstairs and 2, I have a ton of things to do before school starts on Monday. I figured I'd throw an idea at you though and see what you thought.
When I counseled this summer at my church camp, I led devotions every night with my 5th and 6th graders. The camp gave us a book of devotionals that we could use for every day that went along with the theme ("Ready, Set Go") but I decided to take a different route. Since I obviously only had girls, I decided to use certain devotionals and character highlights that were in my Bible. I chose the most common ones, but used a 1 or 2 lesser-known names so the girls could get a wide variety. They seemed to love it, and I was thinking earlier that maybe I could try to broaden that character study on here.
So, shortly (as in once my laptop comes and I have unlimited use of a computer and the Internet), I'll be beginning a study of various Women of Faith. I'll use what my Bible has, and I'll also, like always, use my own takes and opinions of everything to try to make the point come across easier and clearer.
While guys may not like this idea, I can say, too bad. Always in church and Sunday School and junior church the focus would be on guys - Moses, Noah, Joshua, ect. I don't recall ever hearing about girls, and so when reading my Bible when I was younger I came across all the different types of girl stories - Ruth, Esther (my favorite!), Deborah, ect. They're amazing stories, but for some reason, the church seemed to cater to just the male stories of bravery and valor - even though the girls had just as much guts!
That's what my series will be about. A study of women and girls who were just like us, but put into incredible circumstances thanks to God.
Here's your NR challenge for this post. I challenge you to stay tuned for this series and like me, I hope you'll be excited to read what's in store!
Are you in?

-Kimber.

Snooki, meet Jesus.

2010-08-23T17:42:00.000-07:00

I recently got this idea from the Dare2Share emails that I get, so as much as I wish I could take credit for this idea, I can't. I can elaborate on it though.

I can say honestly that I've never seen Jersey Shore, and I can also say that I know I'm not missing anything. To me, it seems like a bunch of immature people have been somehow thrust on television and told to "live their lives" so that America can watch them every night on MTV, or whatever. It's ridiculous. Somehow this shows already been on the air for a long time, and I've never even heard on it until a few months ago when everyone was crazy about it. I first became aware of it at school, when people started saying the quotes from the show and wearing t-shirts with sayings and the words "Jersey Shore" on them. I was confused. Then, for the spring musical, a girl did my hair in a really cute style. Somehow, though, I was called Snooki. I had no idea who she was until I looked her up and realized that I definitely did NOT want to look like her - even though the hair was pretty cool, and I actually really did resemble her. At least in the hair.

To me, the show seems ridiculous, and I can't believe that people would waste money putting it on the air. These people get enormous salaries, just for being idiots. Take for example The Situation's comment:

" I mean this situation is gonna be indescribable, you can't even describe the situation that you're about to get into the situation."

Incredible, thanks for your amazing intellectual ability.
However, according to Dare2Share (and myself, after I scanned the email), Jesus would probably be hanging out with the cast of Jersey Shore. While this sounds insane, think about it. Jesus hung out with those the "church-going" crowd deemed not worthy. Tax collectors and other notorious sinners often came to listen to Jesus teach. This made the Pharisees and teachers of religious law complain that he was associating with such sinful people-even eating with them!

So Jesus told them this story: "If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them gets lost, what will he do? Won't he leave the ninety-nine others in the wilderness and go to search for the one that is lost until he finds it? And when he has found it, he will joyfully carry it home on his shoulders. When he arrives, he will call together his friends and neighbors, saying, 'Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.' In the same way, there is more joy in heaven over one lost sinner who repents and returns to God than over ninety-nine others who are righteous and haven't strayed away!
(Luke 15:1-7).
Jesus was a friend to everyone; the hurting, lost, and ill came to him by the dozens because they knew that they could go and be helped. But Jesus' main "focus" was on sinners, who had something deep down inside them that kept them from crying out for the hope that they do desperately wanted. They're "lost sheep" and Jesus is the shepherd, leading His children back to Him.
If we're really Christ's followers and want to live like Him, we need to reach out to people, even those like in Jersey Shore. They need Jesus, and whatever we can do to help them needs to be done. They're broken inside, and the only fix is the Gospel message. No, it's not more cowbell. It's Jesus.
So here's your NR challenge for this post. I challenge you to go out and love the Snooki's of the world. Embrace the challenge that The Situation brings. You'll find it may be hard, but it's rewarding in the end, no matter what.
Are you in?

-Kimber.

P.S. Sorry for the confusing layout of this post, Blogger switched posting things on me and I'm learning everything all over again!

Bye Bye Birdie.

2010-08-16T17:48:00.000-07:00

I really hope that's not what I'm going to be saying soon. :(

I was outside weeding when I went into the garage to get a pair of my Mum's gloves to grab some bigger weeds with. Bailey, our lab, followed me out and I didn't think anything of it when she ran ahead - she's only 3 and still acts like a puppy, running everywhere, and plus she's been in heat so we've been keeping her in the garage and the fenced in back pporch - and took off in the backyard. I walked through the patio and saw that she had something in her mouth (common for her.) and thought it was the Max puppy that she stole from me when we first got her. (I had the Ariel Barbie, the Eric doll, and the Max dog. I was serious about my Little Mermaid.) I looked closer when she dropped it though, and saw that it was moving. Here she had gotten a bird and was playing with it! I ran over to her and called her off, and picked up the poor little guy. He's a little shaken up and stunned and his one wing looks to be a little out of place, but that may just be because I put him down in the flower basket in the one tree here. I'm hoping he'll be ohk, but I'm going to do what I can to take care of him.

It's funny how something like this makes you thing about things differently, or at least, with a bit more interest.

"Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten in God's sight." - Luke 12:6.

In this verse, it tells us that God takes care of the little guys. To us, a bird is just a bird. You see them everyday, and in fall when they fly south, it seems like there are millions and millions of them in front of us. They're everywhere, so they're not that big of a deal. But to God, they're a precious creation of His.

This chapter in Luke goes on to say that God doesn't just stop there.

"Indeed, the very hairs on your head are numbered. Don't be afraid, you're worth more than many sparrows." - Luke 12:7.

There isn't anything I can really say about this verse that isn't already clear - you're worth more than hundreds and hundreds of sparrows! Don't let anyone tell you different. You're God's original masterpiece, and He thinks you're amazing.

So here's your NR challenge for this post. Every time you think that you're not worth it, that you're not good enough, and that noone cares - think of this verse. Don't look down on yourself! You're a great work of art, created by the most awesome and holy artist ever.

Are you in?

-Kimber.

Poof!

2010-08-16T10:01:00.000-07:00

You know, Timmy's just an average kid, but noone understands. I mean, his mom, dad, and Vicky are always giving him commands! Doom and gloom describes his room, but hey! it's broken pretty fast. That's because a magical pair of fish grant his every wish - because in reality they're his fairly oddparents!

Come on. You know that was cool.

The Fairly Oddparents is a show that was featured on Nick every day, a thousand times a day, until your parents would walk through the house singing the songs and saying the words to every line, no matter the episode. I haven't watched this show in a long time (I've mainly given up on Nick; Travel Channel and Man vs. Food is my choice nowadays) but I remember watching it almost every single time it came on. I remember sitting before school eating breakfast and watching SportsCenter with my brother and knowing it was time to rush when we flipped the channel and this show was starting to come on at 7.

The awesome thing about this show was how Timmy had the ability to wish for ANYTHING - obtuse? rubber goose? green moose? guava juice? giant snake? birthday cake? large fry? chocolate shake? (wow, I only had to look up the first one...this show sticks with you.) - any of those he wanted, he got, then and there. That was the draw, the pull, that this show had with kids - the ability to change anything and get anything you wanted, then, there, no questions asked.

After watching this, life seemed pretty bleak. I mean, I wasn't going to go to my room and ask MY fairy godparents to give me stuff. It wouldn't happen, because it's not real.

People are like this everywhere, nowadays. You want something? You get it. Then. Boom. You see it, and next thing you know, it's in your hands. We live in a microwave society - we don't have to wait.

Another thing that I see from this show is how Timmy was able to get what he wanted all the time, whether it was good or bad for him. Remember the Christmas episode, where he wished everyday was Christmas? Or when he wished his parents didn't care? Or...well, really any other episode? Every wish almost always had a problem.

That's the way that life is. We want things NOW! and don't really care about the results. It's funny, because everyone always preaches "patience." And yet, we live the opposite of that!

Another thing about Timmy's wishes was the fact that there was a set of rules that he had to follow in order to get the most out of everything. When he didn't follow them, boy did things get messy fast! Life is like this too. We have a set of rules - the Bible - that we need to follow in order for everything to go smoothly. But when we don't read them, everything goes wrong!

I know this is a sporadic post, and I'm kind of upset with how I wrote it - I had so many things to say about this and it didn't quite work how I wanted it to! - but I'm hoping there's some point made.

So here's your NR challenge for this (crazy) post. First, make sense of what I said! :) Second, try living with patience for what God has in store for you! Jeremiah 29 says that He knows the plans He has for us, so why should we interfere with them? And third, remember the "rules" and follow them! This will ensure a safer, smoother, and more fun ride through this life!

Are you in?

-Kimber.

Carbon Copy.

2010-08-13T12:02:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone, sorry for the lack of posting recently. College prep and everything here at home has kept my insanely busy, but know that I have tons of ideas for posts - just no time! If I EVER get that laptop I need for college (which starts in just over a week, wow...) I'll be posting all the time. You won't have time to read them all. Bam.

Ohk, on to the topic of this post.

Recently, this idea has been hitting me hard. It goes along with the post I put up in my IYC recaps (see the second night's recap, titled "Love Yourself.") in the aspect that, yes, you need to love yourself. I've been struggling with this lately - not so much me having to grow used to myself, because I don't have to. IYC made it plain and clear that I'm a perfect work of God, so I have nothing to fret over anymore. I'm perfectly content with who and what I am - God's princess.

No, the thing that's been bugging me lately isn't that. It's that people don't seem to realize who and what God made me too. This is a lesson for everyone, so listen up.

So, you're happy with yourself. Sure, you're not perfect - who is? But you're content with what God made and who you are. Awesome, you've overcome a great challenge that not everyone has, and so you deserve to give yourself a pat on the back. But what about the people who just keep picking - the haters who keep criticizing your every move, your every look, idea, thought, action, you name it. They call you names. Worthless. Stupid. Ugly. Pathetic.

Noone would ever love you, they say. You're a piece of junk.

Who's to tell you otherwise? You may be content with who you are and what God made, but after a while...it gets to you. The lies they say start hitting home. Maybe you make a mistake - even in secret, while you're alone - and then what they say comes flooding into your mind. Maybe they're right, you say. Maybe I am everything they think I am.

Wrong.

Psalm 139:14 - "I praise you because I am fearfully and WONDERFULLY made; your works are WONDERFUL, I know that full well."

There you have it, right from the scriptures. Everything God makes is fearfully and wonderfully made. Everything He makes is perfect, amazing, and just what He wants it to be.

There's the old saying, that goes "God don't make no junk." The Skit Guys did a bit about this - see the link that goes to YouTube.com, the skit is called God's Chisel. http://www.youtube.com/user/theskitguys?blend=1&ob=4

God doesn't make junk. And He definitely doesn't make carbon copies - the paper dolls you used to cut when you were little don't apply in real life! You aren't SUPPOSED to be like everyone else - be yourself!

So here's your NR challenge for this post. I challenge you to be yourself. Not who everyone else wants you to be, or what they're telling you to be. Be YOURSELF - WHO GOD MADE YOU. And if you're reading this and seeing that you're the kind of person who's belittling others? I challenge YOU to see if what you're doing and saying is up to par with what God wants. Think you're "helping?" Think again.

Are you in?

-Kimber.

Fear Not!

2010-08-02T13:17:00.000-07:00

Hello cyberworld, sorry to be avoiding you. I'm not doing it purposely, I promise. My life has been crazy lately, with cleaning for events at the house and day trips and things with the youth - it's been insane. I'm back up at Whitehall again for the third week this summer, attending Camp Meeting 2010! This is my favorite place in the entire world, and not just because it's beautiful and my friends are here. God really speaks to me here more than any other place, and it's impacted me more than any other place. I mean, I met my boyfriend here over a year ago and we've been together for almost 13 months, I became close friends with my now best friends here last year at camp, and once again God has been flooding my tiny mind with lesson ideas. It's amazing.

The theme of this week is Fear Not, and while I don't have time to go into that now (Mum has chicken parm baking down at the camper, and I'm talking to friends in a friend's cabin) rest assured that I will - along with all my ideas - write everything when I get home later this week. If I get a chance, I'll come back up here to my friend's cabin and steal his Mac (which, by the way parents, college starts in 28 days and I have yet to receive a laptop...haha.) and write whatever I can.

So this is your NR challenge for this quickie post. Stay tuned, and use the gift of patience that God has given you. Just a few more days!

Are you in?

-Kimber.

Love the World.

2010-07-27T19:49:00.000-07:00

I can tell you right now, this post won't be that long. The last day's session was sad enough on it's own, since it was the last day. (Which, by the way, I'm trying to figure out how it's already been 2 weeks since we left for Florida. Wow.) But the speaker, Marilyn Lazslo, was really good.

Her story was about going to another country with her partner in ministry, where the people hadn't even seen another outsider, let alone 2 white women. They actually spent the first half hour they were there figuring out if they were men or women, and finally decided that they were neither. Lazslo and her partner tried to record the native's language, and eventually, after 20-something years, translated the Bible into their language.

Talk about loving the world, huh?

Marilyn Lazslo was amazing. She struck me as a wicked awesome Alice-from-the-Brady-Bunch type (since she looked just like her and sounded like her.) with a go-get-'em attitude and a fierce passion for God's work.

Isn't that how we all should be?

Told you this was going to be short.

Here's your NR challenge for this insanely short post. I challenge you to embrace God's calling like Marilyn did. Whether it's going to another country for years to do the impossible, or going to class to befriend a new kid - embrace it. Isn't that the least we can do anyway?

Are you in?

-Kimber.

Love Others.

2010-07-23T07:21:00.001-07:00

What a crazy past few days! Sorry for the lack of posting, it's hard to get back on my feet after being on "vacation" for a week, and this first week home has been insane with Vacation Bible School and waiting for Scott and the rest of the OCOG group to get home safe. Alright, onward to the next session recap.
The Saturday night session was focused on loving others. My notes are kind of scare for tonight's session, so my post will basically be what I remember and pull out of a hat. Sorry about that.
The speaker, Chip Taylor, told of being a student ministries paster at his church and loving his job. However, God put upon his heart to love people more - something that he wasn't doing so well at. He started with his crazy neighbor from across the street. Anytime Chip saw him outside, he would walk over and start a conversation - even when taking the garbage out at 3AM, he talked to the neighbor. Eventually he invited Chip to his birthday party at a less than ideal place - somewhere where noone, especially Christians, should be. He fought going, until he eventually decided to go. Chip walked inside, and saw his neighbor in the back, screaming his name. He became embarrassed, thinking that he was already drunk - until he realized that the neighbor was telling his friends how Chip was a Christian, and asked Chip to tell his story. His neighbor hadn't even had a drink, when normally he would have been completely drunk at that time.
Pretty crazy, considering all he did was talk to the guy.
Chip told of another time in his life where God told him to love others. He had just been diagnosed with cancer and was already being treated with chemotherapy. There was a nurse there at the hospital that he felt God was calling him to tell about Christ, and so he did every time he was there, without fail. Nothing ever happened, and so Chip was kind of upset. There was another pastor at Chip's church who had been diagnosed with cancer the same time as Chip, and they had chemo treatments at the same place. She ended up having that same nurse Chip was trying to lead to Christ, and started herself. Guess what? That pastor led the nurse to Christ.
Awesome.
These crazy examples from Chip's story show that we are called to love others, no matter what the situation. Chip walked across the road and talked to his drunken neighbor when he had the chance. He used his cancer as another opportunity to love others. Just because we don't have a drunken neighbor or cancer doesn't mean we can't love others though. So you don't have a crazy story like Chip's, filled with these things. So what? You still have people that you interact with everyday that need to be loved. God's calling us to love others.
Here's your NR challenge for this post. Chip had us fill out a 360 Revolution card, something that I'm familiar with because we do it in my youth ministry at church. The way to use it is simple - just follow the numbers. 360 =

Pick 3 different people.
Pray for those people at least 6 times a week.
And lastly, miss 0 opportunities to tell them about Christ.

It's as simple as that. That's your challenge for this week. Make up your own 360 Revolution card and choose 3 people you know that are unbelievers. Pray for them at least 6 times a week. And, most importantly, miss 0 opportunities to share Christ.
Are you in?
-Kimber.

Love Yourself.

2010-07-20T19:36:00.000-07:00

The second night's session was focused on loving yourself. The speaker, Reggie Dabbs, did a great job of covering this topic and to me, it was the most beneficial and the one that hit home the most. I know I'm not the only one who struggles with this, though. Being a teenager - in particular, a teenage girl, in these days isn't that great for your self-esteem.

In today's society, we aren't very good at this. Everywhere you look, there are perfect images of men and women, subtly airbrushed and photoshopped to absolute, beautiful perfection. You look at these, and then you look at the mirror. Not impressive by society's standards. This is where this session comes in. God created you as a perfect masterpiece, a unique work of art thought of by Him as exactly what He wanted you to be. The Skit Guys did a bit on this, called The Chisel. If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it. Go to YouTube and search it. You won't be disappointed.

Another part of this concept of loving yourself is accepting your past. I know that I've messed up, as I'm sure everyone else has too. Reggie said himself that he had a crazy past, starting with a teenage unwed mother who needed money to pay for her 3 kids and so slept with a man for some money. She became pregnant and tried to abort, but then had the baby and gave him away - and this was Reggie. He had a hard time coming to terms with this, but eventually did with God's help. We all have something in our past we don't want and may hate. Reggie said 2 quotes that I absolutely loved. He said, "You can't change your past, but you can change your future." and "You can't change your past, but you can change what you think about your past." That's so true.

It's late, and so this is my stopping point for this post. There's so much more I'd like to write about, but simply not enough time, energy, or words.

This is my NR challenge for this post. Stop believing what the world wants you to think about yourself. Stop thinking that you can never be smart, pretty, or good enough. Stop thinking that your past will ruin your life and it'll never get any better. Go with what God wants you to think. You're perfect as you are; after all, God doesn't create junk. Your past will always be there, but your future is there for the taking with God to change it in magnificant ways.

I'll leave you with this quote, that I'll probably do a post on sometime.

"The same God that was there for you then is the same God that is there for you now."

It's true. He's here, waiting for you to embrace Him so He can let you know how amazing you are.

Are you in?

-Kimber.

Love God.

2010-07-20T13:10:00.000-07:00

The first session was on Thursday night, and led by Francis Chan. If you've ever heard of him, you know what I'm talking about when I say what he's simply amazing. His teaching just blew my mind, and I agreed with what he said. On the flight to Atlanta, where our layover was, I read his book Crazy Love, borrowed from Taylor, a girl in my group. It took all I had not to start highlighting things, and underlining points that Francis made that stuck out. I have to buy it myself and do that, so I didn't mutilate Tay's book. :)

But anyway, Francis Chan was great. The theme for the night was "Love God," hence the title of this post. Francis spoke of being raised in a Christian home, but not living how he should - full out for God. He went through the motions, and prayed at night as he laid in bed, more than often falling asleep.

That's not how we should treat God, though, he said. He's right.

In Revelation 4, John gets to see God. He sees Him on the throne, blindingly bright and surrounded by different beings - including some with different faces like an ox, and covered completely in eyes. Pretty crazy. Day and night these beings cry out without stop, "Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!" Day and night, without fail. Always saying that.

In Jewish culture then, I learned somewhere, something said 3 times meant it was absolutely perfect. In this example, saying that God is holy 3 times meant that He is so completely perfect we can't even wrap our human minds around it.

God is like this, and yet we give Him the scraps of our day? The half-spoken prayers at night as we fall asleep, sometimes not even finishing because we pass out? The half-hearted offering every week, throwing in a dollar or two? How is God, the creator of everything, only worthy of this?

Francis said all this, and then said a quote that stuck with me: Don't have a casual relationship with God. Yes, He's our friend and we can turn to Him anytime we need Him. But at the same time, God is holy, holy, holy. We're not worthy of Him! He wants us, but He wants us to treat Him with the respect He deserves.

It's like your school principal. They always say that they're our "princiPAL!" and we can turn to them for help. That may be so, but at the same time we have to treat them with respect and deference that they deserve. This is a poor example, but you can kind of understand what I'm aiming at: Give God what He deserves.

So this is your NR challenge for this post. Treat God with respect. Don't have a casual relationship with Him, but show Him everything that He wants from us - a full blown loving relationship where we WANT to pray seriously, getting on our knees at a time that we focus intently on only Him. Where we WANT to give what we have for offering with a cheerful and giving heart. That's your challenge.

Are you in?

-Kimber.

Incredible.

2010-07-20T12:41:00.000-07:00

(This is the second time I've wrote this, because my Internet crashed earlier. This post isn't nearly as good as the last was. Sorry.)

All week in Florida, I kept repeating that word to myself - incredible. When I asked some people what they thought of the week, the word came up frequently. And why wouldn't it? Consider the week I just had:

Thousands of teens, along with youth leaders and parents, gathering together in Orlando, Florida in the name of Christ.
These same people raising over $50,000 for STW - Spread the Word, an organization that gives money to missionaries and others in need to help spread the word of Christ - in a mere 2 days.
Worshipping with some of the biggest names in Christian circles - Lincoln Brewster, for one.
Laughing to good and clean Christian comedy from The Skit Guys, two of the funniest people I've ever seen.
And, spending a week together in the Happiest Place on Earth, as well as Orlando for the convention, with the greatest youth group in history.

Now, tell me how that isn't incredible.
The 4 sessions that we had dealt with different topics relating to the theme, which was Love. Love God, yourself, others, and the world. My next few posts here will relate to these topics, and I'll go in-depth a bit and recap everything that I learned and heard. I'll be using my own notes that I took, as well as other views from people and myself, and things that I learned from our nightly devotions in our youth group.
So, this is the NR challenge for this post. I challenge you to follow the next few posts that I put up. The lessons that I write have certainly made an impact on me, and you never know if they will for you. In short, stay tuned for what's to come.
Are you in?

-Kimber

What a Week!

2010-07-12T07:59:00.001-07:00

Hey everyone!

So, for those of you who are my Facebook friends (and if you're not, you should be) you know that I'm headed to Orlando later today for Disneyworld and IYC! (For those of you who don't know, IYC = International Youth Convention.) Check my Facebook regularly for pictures, status updates, and whatever else I can find!

However, since I'm going to be gone from today - flight leaving at 6 or so - until next Sunday night/Monday morning, that means no blogging until I return home (with some awesome! stories and ideas, I'm sure!). Yes, you can go ahead and cry now. (Kidding.)

Don't fear! I've thought of a solution!

No, the solution isn't Mighty Mouse. Although I do love him.

I'm leaving a verse for you to read every day that I'm away in Florida. They aren't in a specific order, but are some of my favorites and are great for thinking about. Read them, think about them, and if you have a question or comment on one or even more of them, don't be afraid to post it. Let me know what you think!

Tuesday: Proverbs 31:30.

Wednesday: Matthew 6:34.

Thursday: John 14:6.

Friday: Romans 3:23.

Saturday: 2 Timothy 3:16.

Sunday: Romans 10: 9.

There's your No Restraints challenge for the week. Read the verses everyday, and think about them. One youth leader in my church said to go through verses word by word, phrase by phrase, until you really understood what the message was. Comment on them. Read more. And have fun with it! It's not boring unless you make it that way.

Are you in?

-Kimber.

NR Free Challenge Days!

2010-07-10T10:01:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone, running a bit short on time today. I've thought of an idea though, because I know that Saturday's won't be a big writing day for me. I'm normally way too busy on the weekends to write, and it's hard to slip down and sit here for 20 minutes thinking, writing, and researching. (Because yes, I actually do have to do a bit of researching before I post everything.)
I'm now naming every Saturday to be a No Restraint's free challenge day. If anyone reading has a question about anything, or if you have a topic idea you'd like to try, or a challenge that you'd like to pose for any and everyone, Saturdays are the days to put it into action.
So do you have anything in mind? Let me know!
Are you in?

-Kimber.

Washed Away.

2010-07-09T10:24:00.000-07:00

I promise you, I really was cleaning my house. Until I looked outside, that is, and saw the rain coming down hard. I had an idea then, and ran over to the computer, ditching my rag and spray on the coffee table. I'll get back to it Mum, I swear. I want to go to Orlando.

Every time it rains, there's always a part of me that wants to sprint outside and dance with the dog or myself. Playing and dancing in the rain is basically a requirement of childhood, like getting at least one pet or 2 trips to the hospital. (Trust me, I've far exceeded both of those.) When it rains now, though, the adult part of me says, "Why would you want to go out in the rain? You'll just get soaking wet, and you could even get sick. You're leaving for Orlando on Monday, you ninny, why would you possibly risk getting even sicker than you are now?"

Touche, self. Touche.

But there's always the little kid part of me screaming at the top of their lungs, "GET OUTSIDE!" So it just depends what happens. It's always fun and refreshing and makes me feel like a kid again, when I do go outside.

That's the cool thing with the rain though. It makes you feel like a different person. When you're running around outside, it's rather hard to focus on college looming in the fall, taxes, the economy, or something else dark and depressing. It makes you feel new. Plus, when it's finally time to go inside, you're completely washed free of whatever you had on you before - whether it was mud, paint, makeup - whatever. You're clean.

God's like that too.

"Cleanse me with hissop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow." Psalm 51:7.

Like I said a few posts ago, we normally don't know what we're running around with: all the sin, hurt, anger, and other feelings that we carry with us. When we go to God with all of these and ask for His forgiveness, He does just what this verse says: He cleans us, and makes us whiter than snow. It's pretty incredible.

Sometimes, though, we don't believe it. I have too much to forgive, you say. It's impossible. There's no way.

"Jesus looked at them and said, 'With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.'" Matthew 19:26.

It's not impossible. You just have to realize that it can be done.

So here's your No Restraints challenge for this post. Whatever is dragging you down today, on this rainy, dreary day (actually, my bad. It's stopped. Welcome to another humid Pennsylvania day.) give it over to God. Run out in the rain and let yourself be washed clean. It isn't hard. And it can be done. So go on. Take that step and do the challenge. It's worth it, and your inner child will love to run out in the rain and be let free.

Are you in?

-Kimber.

Is Revenge Sweet?

2010-07-08T17:42:00.000-07:00

It has to be illegal, how much I'm writing on here. I don't think I've written this much since my AP English test.
Now, for the topic.
In today's culture, revenge movies are pretty common. Everywhere you look, you can practially see an advertisement or trailer for a new movie where the protagonist was wronged, and now they're ready to kick some tail to get even. It's normal, and everyone loves a good ending where the hero gets everything back and more, and the bad guy either turns good or is capped by the hero. Of course, as a Christian, a lot of these movies aren't that great to watch. Other than the obvious profanities that seem to come with every movie, there are the sexual innuendos, the blood and guts, and the people dying in seemingly every scene. Not really that great for someone to take in.
So, when I thought of this blog post's idea, I began searching for a movie I had seen with a revenge plot that wasn't too graphic. Unfortunately, I'm not a big movie-goer. I'd rather read. Originally, this post was going to be on a short story I'd read that dealt with revenge, but seeing as how basically noone would know who or what I was talking about, and I couldn't find a link to it, I thought I'd give movies a try. But anyway. I found a few good movie lists with "The Top 20 Revenge Movies EVER!!!" and things like that, but going down the lists, I found that I'd only seen about 2. I thought about doing Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, but realized that it was basically the most graphic film ever made, next to maybe the Saw movies or whatever. Like I said, I don't watch that many. Another one that I could have used was G.I. Joe, one of the 2 ultra-romantic (...) movies that Scott and I watched for our anniversary yesterday. Seeing as how that movie was ridiculously stupid, I figured not. Same with I Am Legend. That one wasn't bad, but still didn't make the cut.
In the end, after much searching, I stumbled across the one I wanted. It's not one that anyone would think of, and so bear with me.

Yes, your eyes are correct. I picked The Princess Bride.
The funniest part about all of this is, I can't STAND this movie. After a life-scarring weekend where I was made to watch this movie 3 times, I can't watch it. Once in a while I let myself see it if it's on television, but other than that, I can't do it.
Hilariously though, it's a revenge story. How? Easy. Princess Buttercup and Westley love each other. He goes off to earn money so they can live happily ever after, but his ship is destroyed and she thinks he's dead. She goes and becomes engaged to a real jerk of a prince, and yadda yadda yadda, somehow Butter and Westley are reunited and blah blah blah, they fight everyone and end up a-okay.
The one part of the movie I like is Inigo Montoya, but who couldn't love that guy.
"Hello, my name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die."
Seriously, how could you not like that.
But anyway, through the movie the couple (as well as our Spanish hombre) get revenge on everyone that tore apart their pretty lives and kick the crap out of anyone in their way. We love the story. Bad things happen, they kill and/or hurt everyone badly, the bad guys get it, yay happy ending.
Why do we enjoy that so much? Because sometimes, it's what we want for our own lives. When something bad happens, it's easy to want to get revenge on whoever made it happen. It's how we think, and the way the media is: i.e. all the revenge movies previously listed, they support it.
God doesn't.
He didn't create us so that we could constantly be hackin' each other up because they jumped ahead of us in line for our Big Mac at McDonald's. He made us so that, when that happens, we smile and don't mind it. We still get the Big Mac, so what's the big deal?
"You have heard that it was said, 'Eye for eye and tooth for tooth.' But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well." Matthew 5:38-40.
A speaker at Whitehall camp said it best. Pastor Donnie said, "If you come up to me and slap me across the face, what do you think I'm going to do?" We answered, turn the other cheek. "What do you take me for," he cried, "a doughnut? I'm slappin' you back!"
That's how the world raised us to think. But God has us thinking a different way.
"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another." John 13:34.
We gotta' love everyone. That's what God wants us to do. It's not hard, but we make it out to be. We make it seem that, instead of finding it okay to be accepting and loving everyone, we have to be crude, rude, and mean all the time. Racial slurs are okay. Shooting everyone? That's cool. I don't know about you, but I hate when I turn the news on and for a solid 20 minutes, all I hear are stories of murders, rapes, drug busts, and suicides. Does anyone else feel this way?
So here's your No Restraints challenge for this post. Let's make a difference. No Inigo Montoya mindsets. No holding grudges. I challenge you to try to make an honest effort to love everyone you come into contact with in the next 24 hours. Can't do that? Start small. Give it 12 hours. Even 1.
But how? Smile. Say hello. Give a compliment. Laugh at a joke. Give someone a hug or a high-five. You never know what result your action, however small, will make. Maybe you'll cheer someone up. Maybe you'll stop someone from cutting for a day or two. Maybe, you'll save a life.
That's your challenge. Make a difference. Help yourself. Help others. Help the world.
Praise God.
Are you in?

-Kimber.

Loaded Down.

2010-07-08T14:19:00.000-07:00

"Breathe, just breathe,

take the world off your shoulders

and put it on me.

Breathe, just breathe,

let the life that you live

be all that you need."

- Ryan Star, Breathe

Ryan Star's hit song "Breathe" has been blowing up the airwaves on nearly every radio station that I listen to. I'm not complaining though, I love this song. It's definitely in my Top 5 favorite things at the moment, which also include air conditioning, Sheetz's chicken sandwiches, my boyfriend, and Man vs. Food on Travel Channel. The lyrics aren't about anyone specifically, but are written so that they can be geared toward anyone. I'd been planning on posting about this song ever since God told me weeks ago to write, and so I've just been waiting for the words to come as I memorized the lyrics. And yes, I'm listening to it now. :)

In the song, Star sings of letting a girl place all her problems onto him and taking a break. Not a bad idea.

You know, there's someone else who offers the same.

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdoned, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble of heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." (Matthew 11:28-30.)

In this verse, God offers His protection and comfort for all who ask it. Just like it says in the song, God tells us to let everything go and place it all on Him and it'll be completely fine.

The world we live in today is a stressful place. Everywhere you turn there's something demanding time and effort, and once you have a few of these, things start getting rough. It feels like someone has something in for you, and everything is crashing down. So what's hitting at you these days? Fights with friends? College? Children? Spouses? Graduation parties? Vacation? Work schedules? Maybe not even spending enough time with God? Whatever we're facing, it can feel 5000 times worse if we let it. And that's where God comes in.

So here's your No Restraints challenge for this post. If something is bothering you and weighing you down, and more than likely there is, I challenge you to give it to God. Spend some time with Him and give Him everything that's bothering you and soon you'll be better. You'll be able to relax, and breathe deeply again. Only then can we really 'let the lives that we live be all that we need.'

Are you in?

-Kimber.

Do You Have an Abyss?

2010-07-08T08:09:00.000-07:00

For anyone that knows me, they know that I normally have a huge purse slung over one arm, normally lovingly referred to as "The Abyss." It's a legend in it's own right. As the years have went on, they grow bigger and deeper, seeming to eat everything I put inside them - calculators, pencils, novels for English, my precalc book, even Tupperware containers full of snacks to get me past 11:00 B lunch. The thing just takes everything.

Last night, I couldn't find my phone on the way home from Scott's house. It took 20 minutes of the 30 minute drive home, so I figured I'd better clean it out. When I got home, I dumped the sucker out on my bed and just stared.

I had a lot of junk in there that I hadn't known about.

A whole bag of cough drops (which are actually Scott's and I'm still trying to find out how he got them in there.), his senior pictures, my camera, my iPod, 3 things of lotion, 2 deodorants, Warm Vanilla Sugar spray (as well as lotion and anti-bacterial hand cream, so I basically had half the line in there), my rainbow polka dot/striped bikini, 4 graduation party announcements (for June), 3 lanyards made from campers in 5th and 6th grade camp at Whitehall from a few weeks ago, and so much other stuff. It was ridiculous that I hadn't even felt that much weight as I lugged it around.

As I sorted through it, I realized how true this was for our own lives. As people, we lug a lot of stuff around, and I don't mean our purses and murses. (It's not a murse! It's a satchel! Indiana Jones has one! Sorry.) I mean the emotional things that we have and feel, as well as the mistakes we remember and carry with us. We don't really understand the amount that we have, until we just can't take it anymore.

Break-ups. Rejections. Fights. Bad grades. Losing a job. Accidents. Deaths. Injuries. Divorces. Depression. Anxiety. Suicide. Murder. Abandonment. It all adds up, whether we realize it or not. The pain just keeps coming, and if we don't do anything to get rid of it, it just adds up more and more. Soon, we can't handle it. We start "going through" everything that we're feeling and it just makes it all worse. It seems like we can't do anything to get rid of it.

But we can.

When you accept Jesus Christ for everything He is, you can finally see one of the biggest and most amazing truths known to man: He LOVES us. Every part of us, no matter what. So when we're cluttered up with all our junk? He can make it go away. When we ask Him to forgive us of all our sins, He forgets them. Poof. Gone. He doesn't know what you're talking about. It's easy.

That part, at least. You have to make a committment to follow through. Don't do those things anymore. When Jesus erases them from His memory, you have to erase them from your life. Messed up? No problem, just don't do it again. It gets easier the longer you stick with it. And just like that, your mess is cleaned up. Jesus turned into a Merry Maid and got the job done, and you're walking just fine, with nothing holding you down.

Your abyss is now clean.

So here's the next No Restraints challenge. Are you hurting and loaded down with your own abyss full of garbage? There's help, and hope. Turn your hurts over to Jesus, and ask Him for the forgiveness only He can provide. It'll be amazing once He steps in and the feeling that you'll get is unlike any other. He's there, waiting for you to ask. It's up to you.

Are you in?

-Kimber.

What a Transformation.

2010-07-07T07:10:00.000-07:00

I'm not going to lie, the Transformers movies are seriously 2 of my favorites. (Admit it, you knew where this was going as soon as you saw the title.) I don't feel bad though, considering I'm one among hundreds of thousands that think the same. Seriously, think about it: you have your giant freakish alien robots bursting onto Earth's scene with their mega-ultra-fire cannons, their slick paintjobs, and the ridiculous ability to transform into what my brother refers to as "some of the sexiest cars ever." Add in some of these robots with a mean streak, a (gorgeous) helpless human stuck with the robots because of his great great (...) great grandfather, and a beautiful (...) girl, and you've got yourself one of the greatest action movies of all time. I wouldn't argue with that at all.
(Just re-read this. My Advanced Placement English teacher would probably attempt to kick me in the teeth with the Macbeth sword if she had read that. I apologize, Fer-Bear.)
You know, some people are weird. Normally, if you go into the movies and watch this, you talk about it for a while and then move on to something else. It is, after all, just a movie. But for some people, Transformers is more than a movie. I've talked to people - names withheld of course - who believe to a certain extent that a form of Transformers exist.
Now that's weird. I don't care who you are.
But if you think about it, all over the world people believe in, what seems to me, some crazy stuff. Different religions seems completely out there to me, as a Christian and as a normal teenager. So if you look at it, believing in Transformers isn't all that weird.
What's weird to me though, is that people can't believe in God. Alien robots transforming into hot rods? No problem. I saw that last week in the parking garage on campus, I swear. Only getting into "heaven" because Allah said I could by killing people? Of course it makes sense.
What? Are you kidding me? No it doesn't!
The only thing that makes that much sense to me is what I read in the Bible - the one book where you can find all the answers and truth you need. It lays everything out clearly and what isn't so clear, you could easily research or ask someone. It's not hard. Easy to understand. 100% believable. So why don't people buy it?
It's bogus, apparentally. Not easy to believe, when you could have cars switching on you like that.
So this is my next No Restraints challenge for you all. Really look at what you believe. You buy the Transformers bit? Cool. Lemme know when you stare long enough at your car and it switches into an Autobot. (If you're lucky.) Want to let me know about Allah or any of your other gods? Bring it on! Let me know, I'm curious and anxious to hear it. Then let me have my turn and tell you what I believe - the truth.
So, are you in?

-Kimber.

A Bad Romance.

2010-07-06T17:00:00.000-07:00

I want your love and I want your revenge,
You and me could write a bad romance.
I want your love, and all your love is revenge
You and me could write a bad romance.
-"Bad Romance", Lady Gaga

Okay, surely if you've lived almost anywhere in the last few months, you've heard this song and probably have started humming it in your head. If not, I just made you hum it. I'm sorry. Stop. Really.
In her song, Lady Gaga sings about entering a "bad romance" with a guy that seems to be bad news. It doesn't matter that he has leather-studded kisses (which, honestly? If my boyfriend had those? Sorry love. I'm out for a while.), or has a disease - Gaga sure wants him. Maybe he's gorgeous? That would be an okay reason to date him, right?
If you answered right, it's time to reevaluate some things.
Of course it's not right! If some guy or girl came up to you with some of those symptoms (because I'm pretty sure leather-studded kisses aren't common), what would you do? Would you run with it and date, creating your own "bad romance?" Or would you hold your ground and tell the creep to back off? Personally, I'd tell them to back off. I'm not sure about you guys.
As humans though, we're all like this.
There's always something that we want. Sex. Drugs. Popularity. Alcohol. A boyfriend or girlfriend. Status. There's always that something that bothers us inside, because we can't have it and someone else does. She has the new laptop - I want that. Man, did you see that girl he's with? I'd tap that. (Of course, if it's Jesse's girl...kidding.) Did you see her clothes? I'm getting that shirt. Look at the muscles on that kid! He does 'roids, and I'm going to start them too. He can look like that, so why can't I?
There's always something.
We're never satisfied with what we have. God tells us that when we come to Him and ask Him into our hearts, that the Living Water allows us to never thirst again - what more could we ask for? (John4:10) And yet we still do, when we look around.
All of our wanting, pleading, and plain green-faced jealousy leads us to exactly what Gaga was talking about - a Bad Romance with sin.
If this was a person, we'd back away and tell them to leave! So why, when that "person" is masked as the hottest girl or guy in school, the new iTouch, or the Gucci purse, we want to run towards it and have it for ourselves?
The title of this blog is No Restraints. I'm not holding back. And so, for all those reading, I have a challenge for you. Don't be a Gaga. Don't entangle yourself in a Bad Romance with sin - that's exactly what Satan wants! So let's all make a stand. Don't restrain yourself to what Satan wants you in and settle for the romance with sin. Run towards God and away from it, and settle yourself in for a relationship with Jesus Christ. It's not going to be easy. It'll be tough. But in the long run, you'll like it all the more - especially when you don't have to heal from those leather-studded kisses.
Are you in?

-Kimber.

Anything and everything.

2010-07-06T16:50:00.001-07:00

A few weeks ago, something came to my mind as I sat at my church camp. I wanted to write, and I wanted to write NOW. Obviously, I couldn't, since I was at camp and away (mostly...) from all technology. I said that I would write when I got home, and for some reason, I didn't. Putting it off even further was easy too, because I said I didn't want to write anything on my home family computer and have someone read it. I'd wait for a bit until I got my laptop for college in the fall.
Still, though, something was telling me - you have to write.
So, I finally relented, and here I am. Writing. Can you believe it?
Sometimes I get a good idea that pops into my head. I toy with it a bit, and more than likely nothing comes out of it, seeing as how I'm normally known for being somewhat scatterbrained and, okay, I'll admit, extremely ADD. I'm not letting that stop me now.
I get youth lessons in my head - nothing major that the adult world would dive into with interest, but things that teenagers and pre-teens would maybe take an interest in and pay attention to - at least, as much attention that a teenager can give. I have song ideas - one in particular that's driving me insane, and has been throwing itself around in my mind the last few weeks. I wish I could actually write it, because then I would feel better. Something's holding me back though.
So that's what this blog is for. I'm not letting anything hold me back anymore. No limits. No rules. No restraints. Just me and whatever God decides to throw into my head, or whisper in my ear. If you're interested, awesome. Let me know. I'm in for an interesting ride, and it'll be great to have someone along.
Are you in?

-Kimber.